As budget battles rage on and we prepare to hear next week from the Supercommittee, CEC joined 277 national groups in a letter to Congress opposing passage of a Balanced Budget Amendment.
This proposal, which has come up before Congress several times this year, would limit government spending in each year to no more than 18% of GDP and require a supermajority (3/5ths of all members) to vote to increase taxes. This would mean that federal spending would return to pre-1966 levels – remember that was before the government agreed to pay for things like IDEA, ESEA, Medicaid and Medicare. Stated simply, the impact of this cut on students with disabilities and the professionals who serve them would be profound.
Many who support a balanced budget amendment argue that it is justified because states and families have to balance their budgets – why shouldn’t the federal government?? But this argument overlooks the fact that states and families can and often do borrow for capital projects, meaning, in the case of a state, infrastructure projects like roads or, in the case of a family, a car, home or college education. Likewise, there are times when the federal government should also have the freedom to make needed decisions.
Additionally, a cap would make it harder for Congress to respond to changing conditions or emergencies or even just close tax loopholes. Not to mention the cuts it would subject education programs to – as stated above bluntly reducing education spending
For these reasons, CEC joined with 277 national organizations to oppose this amendment. Read our letter and see the other groups here. Congress is set to vote tomorrow
this is a test comment.
Posted by: Sara Danver | 12/13/2011 at 09:47 AM