URGENT: ELIMINATION OF EDUCATION & TRAINING PROGRAMS

On February 11, 2011, the U.S. House of Representatives Appropriations Committee released a comprehensive list of spending cuts included in the Continuing Resolution (CR) bill (H.R. 1). Cuts to the U.S. Department of Education total nearly $4.9 billion and cuts to the U.S. Department of Labor total approximately $2.9 billion.  Among the proposed eliminations/cuts:

ELIMINATED:
Workforce Investment Act (WIA):  youth, adult & disolacated workers
YouthBuild
Reintegration of Ex-Offenders
AmeriCorps
Corporation for National and Community Service
National Green Jobs Innovation Fund
Career Pathways Innovation Fund
High School Graduation Initiative
Tech Prep State Grants
State Grants for Incarcerated Youth

CUT (reduced budget):
Pell Grants
Job Corps
Juvenile Justice


With national unemployment rates still hovering around 9% and youth unemployment rates at an astounding 26.3% for youth ages 16-19 and 16.3% for youth ages 20-24, cuts to critical job training, education and skills programs only serves to further devastate efforts to put Americans, both young and old, back to work. A complete list of program cuts can be found here. To view H.R. 1, visit this link.

The House began debate on the CR yesterday and hopes to have it ready to send to the Senate by the end of next week. Due to a scheduled recess the week of February 21–25, the Senate will not be able to take up the bill until the first week of March.  There are daily changes with amendments being made by various lawmakers, and the President has his own ideas of where to decrease spending, so stay tuned.

What You Can Do
Whether your program was eliminated, reduced, or spared in the CR, we encourage you to contact Your Members of Congress to highlight the value and the need for these programs and to urge them to maintain funding for employment, education, and training. The House and Senate will recess next week providing you with an excellent opportunity to invite Members to visit your programs in their home districts. These visits will allow Members to witness firsthand the negative implications the proposed cuts will have on our nation’s most vulnerable if this legislation moves forward in its current form. By following this link and typing in your zip code, you can find the name of your Congressional Member and his or her contact information for offices both in state and in Washington, D.C.

Or feel free to call Amanda (510) 325-6959 or Kim (510) 701-2966 to discuss strategy or commiserate.


Source: NYEC