Letter to the House and Senate Budget Committees - Sequester Cuts and Higher Education

Letter

Congresswoman Gloria Negrete McLeod (CA-35) and 12 Members of the California Delegation sent a letter to the House and Senate Budget Committees as budget negotiations are underway. The letter highlights the impact sequester cuts have had on higher education and urges budget negotiations to include an end to sequestration. Below is the full text of the letter:

December 4, 2013

The Honorable Patty Murray The Honorable Jeff Sessions

Chairman Ranking Member

Senate Committee on Budget Senate Committee on Budget

624 Dirksen Senate Office Building 635 Dirksen Senate Office Building

Washington, DC 20510 Washington, DC 20510

The Honorable Paul Ryan The Honorable Chris Van Hollen

Chairman Ranking Member

House Committee on Budget House Committee on Budget

207 Cannon House Office Building B-71 Cannon House Office Building

Washington, DC 20515 Washington, DC 20515

Dear Chairman Murray and Ryan and Ranking Members Sessions and Van Hollen:

As you come to an agreement on the budget, we write to affirm our support for repealing sequestration and protecting higher education. We have continuing concerns about the reduced investments to the University of California, California State University, and California Community Colleges in the areas of education and research that are creating jobs and improving the quality of life in the 21st century.

Federal financial aid programs are critical to ensuring that students in California have access to affordable high-quality postsecondary education. While the Pell Grant program was exempt from the across-the-board cuts in FY 2013, future funding is seriously at risk if spending caps are lowered significantly or if the cuts in the House Budget Resolution are adopted. The University of California, California State University and California Community Colleges join the nation in seeing decreased funding for Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grants and work study. Program cuts in TRIO, GEAR UP and other vital K-12 pipeline programs deny students the opportunity to advance their education. Further cuts and delays in the FY 2014 budget could jeopardize our students from having competitive and beneficial financial aid packages for the upcoming academic year.

Unless Congress acts, sequestration will continue through 2021, having a severe impact on California's education and research enterprise. The continuing sequestration, government shutdown and the lack of a timely FY2014 budget have caused critical research conducted by the California higher education system to be delayed or terminated. The American Association for the Advancement of Science estimates that if the spending levels proposed in the FY 2014 House Budget Resolution are implemented, reductions nationwide will be as high as 33 percent for the National Institutes of Health, 34 percent for the Department Energy programs and 12 percent for the National Science Foundation from FY 2012 levels. The net result will be fewer and smaller grants for all universities. Federal funds are vital to the University of California and California State University system's research endeavors, each dollar in investment helps spur innovation. Sequestration threatens our nation's educational, research and economic competitiveness at a time when many other countries are making significant investments.

Through a strong partnership with the federal government, the public universities in California are educating the work-force of the future and generating economic growth through new jobs, start-up companies and spinoff industries. It is critical that our nation maintain its investments in education and scientific research to ensure California and our nation's economic prosperity continues to grow. We urge that the conference committee reinvest in higher education, support job creation and repeal sequestration cuts to these programs.

Respectfully,

Rep. Gloria Negrete McLeod (CA-35)
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (CA-19)
Rep. Alan Lowentha (CA-47)
Rep. Julia Brownley (CA-26)
Rep. Jim Costa (CA-16)
Rep. Mark Takano (CA-41)
Rep. Barbara Lee (CA-13)
Rep. Adam Schiff (CA-28)
Rep. John Garamendi (CA-3)
Rep. Jerry McNerney (CA-9)
Rep. Jared Huffman (CA-2)
Rep. Juan Vargas (CA-51)
Rep. Lois Capps (CA- 24)

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