the universal suffering caused by AIDS

Art historians and curators say the video, which depicts Jesus on a crucifix covered with ants, was created in 1987 as a statement about the universal suffering caused by AIDS. In the eye of some beholders, however, the exhibit, which features works from acclaimed artists like John Singer Sargent and Georgia O'Keeffe, is simple blasphemy.

Some conservative lawmakers Tuesday waged a vocal campaign against the exhibit and threatened to pull the Washington gallery's federal funding. They said the video, along with the rest of the exhibit, "Hide/Seek: Difference and Desire in American Portraiture," is sacrilegious and a waste of taxpayer money.

A spokesman for incoming House Majority Leader Eric Cantor, R-Va., told CNSNews.com the exhibit was an "outrageous use of taxpayer money and an obvious attempt to offend Christians during the Christmas season." He called for the museum to "pull the exhibit and be prepared for serious questions come budget time."

Incoming House Speaker John Boehner, R-Ohio, told CNSNews.com that the video was "symbolic of the arrogance Washington routinely applies to thousands of spending decisions involving Americans' hard-earned money at a time when one in every 10 Americans is out of work and our children's future is being threatened by debt." And Georgia Rep. Jack Kingston, a Republican and a member of the House Appropriations Committee, told Fox News the exhibit was "in-your-face perversion paid for by tax dollars."