Here is yesterday's CEF update, which was sent out before the CR was released. Sheryl sent a followup this morning with the CR details, which I will pass along in a moment. Jeff > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Sheryl Cohen <cohen@cef.org <mailto:cohen@cef.org>> > Subject: CEF Post Election Brief tomorrow with the Washington Post's Chris Cillizza!! > Date: December 6, 2016 at 1:52:45 PM EST > To: CEFMembersList <CEFMembersList@cef.org <mailto:CEFMembersList@cef.org>> > > > > Tuesday, December 6, 2016 > > Dear CEF Members: > > I. Events > > · Post-election briefing at 3pm tomorrow with Chris Cillizza! – Tomorrow is CEF’s election debriefing featuring Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post’s “The Fix <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/>.” We are fortunate to get him – he would normally earn a speaking fee but waived that to brief CEF. We didn’t ask for RSVPs but really encourage a good turnout – it should be an informative and fun opportunity to hear from an expert on elections, polling, and what motivates voters. Thanks to AASCU for hosting! > When: Wednesday, December 7 at 3pm > Where: AASCU, 1307 NY Ave, NW > > · ACG-hosted Member Lunches (still room tomorrow!) – There are two more chances for CEF members to join us for lunch at our ACG offices. These are a great way for me and the ACG team to get to know each member more personally and to learn about your specific issues. You can sign up for the lunch on December 7 or December 14 here: Member Lunches Sign Up <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cef-member-lunches-tickets-27180617960> > > · Friday morning meetings – > o December 9, 9-11am, at University of California (1608 Rhode Island Ave, NW, 1stFloor Auditorium). > Our speaker is George Everly, Chief Counsel to the Senate Budget Committee, who can talk about how the reconciliation process works and Republican plans to use reconciliation next year to provide fast-track consideration for various pieces of legislation. > o December 16, 9-noon, at University of California (1608 Rhode Island Ave, NW, 1st Floor Auditorium). This is CEF’s annual meeting with the elections for next year’s board, so participation is important! Speakers to be determined. > > II. Policy Intelligence and Education News > > · CR schedule – On Thursday the House is expected to consider and pass another continuing resolution (CR) to provide government funding at last year’s levels. However, the text is not yet public and there is still some internal Republican debate about how long it should last and at what levels. The current government funding bill expires on Friday night, so Congress could pass a very short-term bill that lasts through next week if it needs to provide time to settle the outstanding issues for a bill that is expected to continue 2016 funding levels for at least the first half of the fiscal year, possibly until April 28. There is some conversation that in the Spring the Congress will pass a full-year CR rather than make decisions program-by-program for the FY2017 bill and then immediately turn to do that for FY2018. > > · Budget possibilities for next year – Almost every day brings new rumors about the parameters and action on the FY 2018 budget. > > o Reconciliation - Republicans still have plans to pass a very delayed bare bones FY 2017 budget resolution, according to House Budget Committee Chair Tom Price (R-GA). The resolution would be "essentially a vehicle for the reconciliation process" to provide fast-track consideration of legislation to repeal parts of Obamacare, and could contain the minimum of required budgetary details, such as total spending, revenue, deficits, and debt without any of the customary information about policy and spending priorities. > o No President’s budget? – budget columnist Stan Collender is speculating that the Trump Administration could skip proposing a FY 2018 budget <http://www.forbes.com/sites/stancollender/2016/12/04/you-heard-it-here-first-trump-may-not-proposing-a-budget-next-year/#12efb4772667> altogether. However, this would be unprecedented, and would not only deprive the Administration of its first full opportunity to state its programmatic priorities but would not provide Congress with the Administration’s guidance on possibly changing the parameters of the discretionary budget caps, entitlement reform, or tax reform. > o Wasteful defense spending – The Washington Post reports <https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/pentagon-buries-evidence-of-125-billion-in-bureaucratic-waste/2016/12/05/e0668c76-9af6-11e6-a0ed-ab0774c1eaa5_story.html?hpid=hp_rhp-banner-main_pentagon-0655pm%3Ahomepage%2Fstory&utm_term=.3c3d136ae571> that an efficiency evaluation ordered by the Department of Defense recommended ways to save $125 billion over five years through attrition and better use of information technology, but Department leaders quashed the report out of fear that it would lead to cuts in defense spending. The report by outside consultants found that the Department has 1.0 million “back-office” personnel supporting 1.3 million troops, and recommended shifting the savings from reducing the former to pay for troops and weapons. Instead, the report was never released. > > · House Republicans won’t appoint Committee members until January – The Hill reports <http://thehill.com/homenews/house/308902-speaker-ryan-delays-committee-assignments-until-2017?utm_source=&utm_medium=email&utm_campaign=5248>that Republicans will not be appointed to House Committees until after the election for Speaker – presumably so the Speaker will know who voted against him before Leadership makes the assignments. This could delay the fast start Republicans want for the 115thCongress. > > · OMB director –The Trump administration has not yet proposed anyone to be Director of the Office of Management and Budget – a position that can have tremendous influence over the Administration’s position on individual agency budgets and changes in the size of the federal workforce, including proposals to eliminate the Department of Education. CQ reports <http://www.cq.com/doc/news-4997629?1> that those rumored to be under consideration include: > > o Gryphon private equity manager Robert E. Grady, who was OMB executive associate director and OMB associate director for natural resources and science under President George H.W. Bush; > o Goldman Sachs CEO Gary Cohn; > o former Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK); > o Senate Budget Committee Republican staff director Eric Ueland, who has advised the transition team; and > o Heritage Foundation economist Paul Winfree, a former Senate Budget Committee staffer who is the lead on the OMB transition team. > > · Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) named Chair of House Education and Workforce Committee– As expected, on Friday House Republicans officially chose Rep. Virginia Foxx to succeed the retiring John Kline (R-MN) as chair of the Education and Workforce Committee. As a former president of a community college, her background is in higher education. The Chronicle of Higher Education interviewed her and quoted her main goals as limiting “federal involvement in higher education, including by cutting federal spending.” > > III. CEF member job opening > > · National Association of College Stores – NACS is seeking a Government Relations Specialist to support the implementation and management of a comprehensive Government Relations program, provide policy analysis for the association, assist in developing policy goals and priorities, and help coordinate member grassroots advocacy. For more information, see the ad <https://www.linkedin.com/jobs/view/242750808> and job listing <https://workforcenow.adp.com/jobs/apply/posting.html?client=naocsinc&jobId=27705&lang=en_US&source=CC3>. > > My best, > > Sheryl > > > Sheryl V. Cohen, Executive Director > 1800 M Street, NW > Suite 500 South > Washington, DC 20036 > T: 202-327-8125 > cohen@cef.org <mailto:cohen@cef.org> > www.cef.org <http://www.cef.org/>