The budget conference committee is continuing its efforts to craft a compromise FY 2014 budget plan before the self-imposed deadline of December 13. Rep. Paul Ryan (R-WI) and Sen. Patty Murray (D-WA), the conference chairs, are reportedly moving closer to a deal that could be announced early next week. The agreement that ended the protracted government shutdown in October included the creation of a conference committee of members of the House and Senate who are tasked with creating a finalized budget plan and setting overall funding levels for FY 2014.
The deal will likely include a replacement of at least some of the discretionary funding cuts that occurred in FY 2013 as a result of sequestration. Perkins funding was cut by 5.2 percent in FY 2013, reducing federal support for CTE by $58 million. ACTE recently sent a letter to the conferees urging them to strengthen our nation’s investment in CTE by replacing the harmful sequestration cuts in the FY 2014 budget proposal.
The government is currently operating on a short-term funding measure, known as a continuing resolution (CR), which will expire on January 15, 2014. The budget agreement will be the first step toward passing a full-year funding bill and averting another government shutdown in the new year. Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has said that he will adjourn the House for the holiday break on December 13, with or without a deal in place. Contact your Members of Congress and urge them to support a budget plan that supports funding for CTE!
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