Last week, Paul Ryan, Chairman of the Budget Committee in the House of Representatives, released the proposed a Budget Resolution titled the Path to Prosperity, setting forth proposed amounts to fund all sectors of the federal government. If enacted, this Budget Resolution would dramatically reduce spending on education and place Medicaid services for thousands of individuals with disabilities at risk. Therefore, CEC opposes it and urges you to oppose it also.
Education Cuts: The Resolution provides very few details about education funding other than outlining broad cuts. Overall, it proposes cutting all non-security discretionary spending (which would include all education programs) to below fiscal year 2008 levels and freezing them there for 5 years. This would represent a dramatic change and would result in large cuts to Title I and IDEA of approximately 18.7%. The only education program the Resolution specifically mentions is the school voucher program for schools in the District of Columbia. It proposes fully funding this program.
Medicaid Cuts: In terms of Medicaid, the proposal would basically turn this program into a block grant, meaning the federal government would allocate money to states. Currently, the federal government matches every dollar that states spend on Medicaid and the formula varies from state to state. Medicaid plays an essential role in securing the health and well-being of almost 30 million children, especially as families continue to struggle with the downturn in the economy. Indeed, block granting Medicaid would not only jeopardize coverage for millions of children, it would also result in cost-shifting that would place an even greater burden on states, localities, providers, and families.
Budget Process FYI: The House must pass a budget resolution each year before beginning the annual appropriations process. The budget resolution lays out the overall size of the federal budget, and establishes amounts to be spent on certain areas of the budget, including education. To learn more about the congressional budget process click here.
Based on these extreme proposals, CEC opposes the budget resolution. We urge you to join us and let your Representative know you oppose it to. To spread this message, and TAKE ACTION NOW! Use CEC’s Legislative Action Center.
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