As we enter day four of the federal government shutdown, there is still no sign that Congress will reach an agreement to reopen the government anytime soon. Negotiations between the House and Senate have broken down over the fate of the president’s signature health care reform law, also known as Obamacare. Conservative Republicans continue to insist on blocking the implementation of Obamacare as a condition for restoring funding for federal programs and operations.
The House is in the process of voting on a series of mini-funding bills, known as continuing resolutions (CRs), that will temporarily fund a select few government functions at Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 budget levels. This piecemeal approach is an attempt by House Republicans to reopen some of the more politically sensitive government activities and programs that have been affected by the shutdown, including the National Parks Service, veterans’ benefits, Head Start, National Institutes of Health, disaster aid, and the operating budgets for the District of Columbia and the Smithsonian Institution among others. However, none of the proposed mini-CRs will provide funding for most federal education programs, including Perkins, and they are unlikely to pass the Senate at this time.
Though the federal government has shutdown, ACTE’s Public Policy Department is continuing to work for our members and the CTE community on Capitol Hill. Congress is experiencing staff furloughs like other government agencies, but we are still meeting with congressional offices to push our important CTE policy agenda, including the ongoing fight to end sequestration and invest in Perkins. Continue to check the CTE Policy Watch Blog for more shutdown updates.
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