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On August 2, Rep. John Tierney (D-MA) wrote to Department of Labor (DOL) Secretary Hilda Solis and White House Office of Management and Budget (OMB) Acting Director Jeffrey Zients requesting information on how the “sequesters”—the automatic across-the-board spending cuts required by the Budget Control Act (BCA)—would affect the DOL’s ability to administer employment and training programs under the Agency’s jurisdiction.
The BCA was enacted 2011 to increase the national debt ceiling in exchange for more than $2 trillion in funding cuts over the next 10 years. The BCA will force $109 billion in automatic cuts to both defense and non-discretionary defense (NDD) spending on January 2, 2013.
The resulting cuts to education and training programs would be devastating – particularly as workforce programs have already lost more than $1 billion in funding since FY 2010. Up to this point, there has been little clarity on how the cuts would be implemented or how they would impact programs on the ground. The response from DOL and OMB may be instructive on what the cuts will mean for workforce programs specifically.
National Skills Coalition has joined forces with more than 60 other coalitions in an effort to save NDD programs from more devastating cuts. NDD programs are core functions government provides for the benefit of all, including medical research, public health, and education, among others. Every day these programs support economic growth and strengthen the safety and security of every American in every state and community across the nation. Find additional information on the “NDD Summit,” as well as actions you can take to help protect these critical investments.
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