Resending my message from yesterday, which did not go through to the list. Some good stuff in here — I didn’t want you to miss it! :) > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Jeff Carter <jcarter@literacypolicy.org <mailto:jcarter@literacypolicy.org>> > Subject: Policy Update - LONG > Date: January 29, 2018 at 10:55:28 PM EST > To: Nation Coalition for Literacy <members@lists.national-coalition-literacy.org <mailto:members@lists.national-coalition-literacy.org>> > > Sorry I’ve been behind with updates lately. There's a lot going on both in my real job and a lot going on with CEF. Last week we finished up appointing CEF committee chairs and we had the annual membership retreat Friday. Today, we held a Hill briefing for staff to talk about the budget process with the lead education staff for the House Labor-Ed-HHS appropriation subcommittee. Good stuff! > > FY 2018 FUNDING > > One thing that was reiterated in conversation with those staffers after the event this morning: There is no cap deal yet (i.e. deal to raise discretionary caps on defense and non-defense discretionary spending - a prerequisite for completing FY 18 appropriations), and when they finally have one, the appropriations folks are going to need about a month to put together a bill and get it on the floor. So it’s a virtual lock that we will be getting another CR on or before Feb. 8. Or another shutdown confrontation (highly unlikely). > > Congress is also still working on a solution to the DACA issue, which the Trump Administration has said will not happen without a commitment to fund a border wall. So when the cap deal is done and they finally do make their 2018 appropriations decisions, the final funding bill for FY 2018 will presumably include money for Trump's wall and other border security measures and an as-yet-to-be-determined amount (but something approaching $100 billion) for additional hurricane relief and disaster assistance. > > Sheryl/CEF: "Meanwhile, the House this week will take up a bill funding the Defense Department for Fiscal Year 2018; the bill is basically the same as what the House passed last year, but also includes some additional funding for the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO – this funding is not subject to the caps, and supports war operations). The bill dramatically increases defense funding in line with the FY 2018 National Defense Authorization Act, providing an increase of more than 10 percent over FY 2017 levels and far exceeding the defense spending caps. The bill is expected to pass in the House but not the Senate, thus reinforcing the need to reach an agreement that provides for increases in both defense and NDD funding.” > > FY 2019 FUNDING > > The President’s fiscal year 2019 budget will be released on February 12th, one week later than the statutory rule, which establishes the budget release no later than the first Monday in February. Oh well. The Obama administration was pretty routinely late too. It's going to be a weird exercise this year since Congress has not yet enacted funding for the current budget year. So, for one thing, whatever is released on the 12th isn’t even going to be the administration’s final version, because it will have to be revised once they know what the 2018 spending levels are going to be. One thing that’s important is to remember that the President’s budget, when it is released, is rarely much of a guide to what actual funding is going to look like for adult ed in FY 2019. Like last year, I don’t think that for adult education the president’s budget will be the starting point for appropriators — it will be last year’s appropriation. > > Also, expect the entire process to be really slow this year. First, because the FY 2018 process is taking so long. And then, taking into account the very limited House and Senate legislative schedule in the coming months (for example, the House has week-long recesses almost every month and plans to restrict votes to only two full days most weeks it is in session) — and the fact that it’s an election year — there is little chance IMO that we'll see the appropriations committees moving very quickly on FY 2019. I think it’s almost certain they won’t finish by the September 30, and that we'll looking at another CR in September to kick the appropriations votes to after the election. > > One thing that’s leaked out recently (via Sheryl/CEF, via Education Week): the President’s 2019 budget may propose merging three education research programs (the State Longitudinal Data System program, the Regional Educational Laboratory Program, and the Comprehensive Centers) and change the way those research dollars flow, through formula grants to states. > > SOTU > > I expect that President’s speech tomorrow night will include a lot about the benefits of the tax bill (I would put some of those business leaders who have given employees bonuses in the crowd if I were him) and also this infrastructure plan he will be proposing (a draft was leaked to Axios: https://www.axios.com/draft-white-house-infrastructure-plan-1516644555-0d43f417-6ccd-43f7-9eae-3ccbe711314d.html <https://www.axios.com/draft-white-house-infrastructure-plan-1516644555-0d43f417-6ccd-43f7-9eae-3ccbe711314d.html>). I don’t expect him to make any big sweeping proposals regarding education or workforce programs — curious what others think. It will also be interesting to hear what he says about the Dreamers and DACA. I’m sure he will say something. I wouldn’t get my hopes up for funding for adult ed via this infrastructure proposal, but I suppose it does perhaps offer another hook by which we can talk about the educational needs of adults in the workforce who might benefit from jobs created by the plan…(what do you think?) I will be live tweeting the speech (I promised my communications manager at PSR I would watch) but mostly for PSR-related issues (environment and/or any threats to kill us all, etc). If any of you will be live tweeting the speech for your organizations, let me know. > > OTHER NEWS > > This morning House Appropriations Chairman Rodney Frelinghuysen (R-NJ) announced that he will not run for re-election: > > https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/nyregion/frelinghuysen-house-republican-retiring.html <https://www.nytimes.com/2018/01/29/nyregion/frelinghuysen-house-republican-retiring.html> > > Sheryl again: "Next on the seniority list of the Appropriations Committee is Harold Rogers, the most recent past Chair. Rep. Rogers, however, would require a waiver to serve as Chair again, as he has already served three two-year terms. And if the House majority flips, Ranking Member Nita Lowey (D-NY) is atop the Committee’s seniority list for the Democrats." > > Also, the Department of Education announced that Kent Talbert will be Senior Policy Advisor to the Deputy Secretary, and will take on the duties of Deputy Secretary pending the Senate confirmation of Mick Zais. According to the Department of Education Announcment: "From 2006-09, he served as General Counsel of the U.S. Department of Education, and from 2001-06 as Deputy General Counsel for Departmental and Legislative Service. Earlier in his career, Mr. Talbert served for over 12 years on Congressional staff as Education Policy Counsel for the House Committee on Education and the Workforce, and as a professional staff member of the Senate Committee on Labor and Human Resources (now HELP).” > > -- > > Jeff >