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Democratic Members of the House Appropriations Committee, led by Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY) recently released a report detailing the impact sequestration is having on public safety, health, education, national security, judiciary and legal representation, housing, commerce, seniors, and foreign assistance.
While the committee Democrats did not specify what sequestration will mean for workforce development programs, their report does make important points about how sequestration – no matter how Congress and federal agencies attempt to mitigate the impact – will result in long-term disinvestments that will impact the core functions of government.
The report notes that mitigating actions Congress might take, such as making changes in law, will draw funding away from other important purposes. For instance, the recently-enacted legislation to end Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) furloughs will be financed by funds previously set aside to improve the infrastructure of our nation’s airports, an important long-term goal. The report also warns that agency attempts to reprogram funds and prevent furloughs by eliminating employee training and other operating expenses, while seemingly helpful in the near term, will ultimately have a long-term negative impact on government functionality.
National Skills Coalition has repeatedly called on Congress to unwind the damaging sequesters, and instead adopt a balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not include further funding cuts to non-defense discretionary programs, which have already contributed $1.5 trillion to deficit reduction since 2011.
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