House Appropriations Committee Proposes Yet Another Continuing Resolution

Yesterday the House Appropriations Committee introduced yet another Continuing Resolution to temporarily provide fiscal year 2011 appropriations for another week. Fiscal year 2011 began on October 1, 2010 and thus far Congress has not finalized a year-long funding bill. Instead, Congress has passed a series of temporary Continuing Resolutions (CR) that have extended fiscal year 2010 funding levels temporarily, with a few notable exceptions. The current CR funding federal programs will expire Friday, April 8th. If the CR just released by the House Appropriations Committee passes the House and goes on to win approval in the Senate and the president’s signature, fiscal year 2011 appropriations for education programs will be extended through Friday April 15th, giving Congress another week to craft a final appropriations bill. (This most recent CR, however, does provide appropriations for the Department of Defense for all of fiscal year 2011.)

The new proposed CR makes $12 billion in cuts to discretionary spending programs. However, the cuts to education programs are relatively small compared to past CRs. The CR only eliminates funding for the Teaching American History program, which received $119 million in fiscal year 2010. However, education cuts made in past CRs will still be in effect. This includes $890 million in cuts to programs such as Striving Readers ($250 million in fiscal year 2010), Even Start ($66 million in 2010), and Small Learning Communities ($88 million in 2010), and the elimination of education-related “earmarks” like the Reading is Fundamental program and the annual appropriation for Teach for America.

The new CR also includes some interesting language that suggests lawmakers are looking to rescind education funds appropriated in fiscal year 2010 that remain unspent today. This move would effectively create savings that lawmakers could use to meet goals to reduce federal spending. For example, the bill would rescind $186.5 million in unobligated funds from the 2010 appropriation for Striving Readers, a competitive literacy program that was eliminated in an earlier 2011 CR. The Department of Education has just begun the process of requesting applications for the 2010 Striving Readers grant competition, which means that the vast majority of the program’s $250 million 2010 appropriation has not yet been spent. It appears that the House Republicans want to not only eliminate the program in fiscal year 2011, but end any further grant awards made from fiscal year 2010 appropriations.

Though federal education programs would remain relatively unscathed in the latest CR proposed by House Republicans, the federal appropriations process may not be over yet. Assuming that this CR passes the House and Senate and is signed by the president, negotiations on fiscal year 2011 appropriations will continue for another week. At this point, it is difficult to speculate what an additional week of wheeling and dealing will mean for funding for education programs in the remainder of fiscal year 2011. But if past CRs are any indication, more education cuts seem likely.

Check back with Ed Money Watch as this process continues.