Here is today’s CEF update. Note highlighted sections. Put aside any action alerts or letters that you may have seen this week asking Congress to invest in this or that program as they finalize appropriations for FY 2017 — IMO there was just ONE critical fight after the election, and that was to get Congress to do an omnibus before the end of the year. And now it looks like that fight has likely been lost, as the House has decided to go with a short term CR into March after all. Glimmer of hope: it is not clear where Senate leadership stands on this. And of course the President has to sign it, so it’s not a totally done deal. But looking very bad. As a reminder, a second, short-term CR that takes us into the new Congress and takes President Obama out of the equation is among our worst case scenarios. In the short-term, it would mean federal funding for FY 2017 remains frozen at FY 2016 levels until March. While that doesn’t seem so bad, as a practical matter it’s not that relevant for forward-funded programs like WIOA Title II adult education (and most other federal educationprogams), because FY 2017 money doesn’t actually go out to states until July anyway. So while the figures are “frozen” for the time being, with a CR, we really have no idea what the final FY 2017 line item on programs like ours will be — at least until March, when Congress and now President Trump finally come up with FY 2017 numbers. At that point, we (along with many others) could be cut substantially. And, with a Republican dominated Congress and a Republican President, the likelihood of cuts to many programs is high. At best, it creates massive uncertainty. I realize that a constant stream of “sky is falling” messages get tiring to the point where people stop listening. But the news quite honestly gets worse every day. I do not remember a time since I’ve been tracking federal education funding in which the news was more grim. Again, to beat a dead horse, the problem does not in any way have anything to do with adult education itself. Adult education is not specifically being threatened. We all are. In her update, Sheryl also includes more rumors about who the new Secretary of Education may be. I regreat editorializing the other day about someone being considered, so will not do that again. So if you want to hear about any of my miserable experiences with Michele Rhee — who is now, inevitably, one of the names being floated — you’ll have to ask me privately! Jeff > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Sheryl Cohen <cohen@cef.org> > Subject: CEF Update 11.17.16 > Date: November 17, 2016 at 10:53:15 AM EST > To: CEFMembersList <CEFMembersList@cef.org> > Cc: Sarah Abernathy <abernathy@cef.org>, Alex Hoffberg <hoffberg@acg-consultants.com>, Owen Reilly <Reilly@acg-consultants.com> > > > > Thursday, November 17, 2016 > > Dear CEF Members: > > I. III. Policy Intelligence and Education News > > 1. Continuing Resolution through March for FY2017 appropriations – House Republicans just decided <http://thehill.com/policy/finance/306529-gop-opts-for-short-term-spending-bill> not to enact full-year funding bills but to instead pass another continuing resolution (CR) through the end of March – half-way through the fiscal year. President-elect Trump is reported <http://www.cq.com/doc/news-4989002?1> to have favored this approach, which will let the Republican Congress and President finalize the remaining 11 appropriations bills, including the bill funding education programs, that may include policy riders that President Obama did not want. The second CR could include more changes in funding for specific programs (knows as anomalies) and a different across-the-board cut to keep total funding under the defense and non-defense caps. The final Labor-HHS-Education bill funding the second half of the year may look similar or very different from the ones approved by the House and Senate Appropriations Committees earlier this year. > > · View from Senate HELP Committee – David Cleary, chief of staff for HELP Committee chairman Lamar Alexander (R-TN), said this week that rewriting the Higher Education Act is one of the Chairman’s top priorities. He also expects the next Congress to repeal some of the education regulations created under the Obama Administration, including the Title IX guidance, federal funding limits on for-profit colleges, and the teacher preparation regulations still being finalized. > > · Senator Murray stays as Ranking Member on the HELP Committee ­– Senator Patty Murray (D-WA) announced <http://www.help.senate.gov/ranking/newsroom/press/senator-patty-murray-to-continue-leadership-on-senate-help-committee> on Wednesday that she will stay on as the top Democrat on the Health, Education, Labor, and Pensions Committee in the next Congress. Senator Chuck Schumer (D-WA) was elected the new Senate Democratic Leader, and appointed Murray to serve as assistant Democratic leader. She also remains as the Ranking Member of the Labor-HHS-Education Appropriations Subcommittee, in addition to serving on the Budget and the Veterans’ Affairs Committees. > > · Catalog of rumors for potential Education Secretary – Every day adds another name or two to the list of people rumored to be under consideration for the position of Education Secretary. Politico is keeping a running tabulation <http://www.politico.com/blogs/donald-trump-administration/2016/11/donald-trump-cabinet-members-list-of-choices-picks-and-selections-so-far-231444>. New to the list: Michelle Rhee, former chancellor of DC public schools; Tony Zeiss, a former community college president in North Carolina; and former Indiana governor and OMB director Mitch Daniels. > > II. Events > > · Friday morning meetings resume tomorrow – Please mark your calendar for the following four Fridays: > o Tomorrow - November 18, 9-11am, at the University of California (1608 Rhode Island Ave, NW, 1st Floor Auditorium). Call-in number: 1 (800) 371-9219; Conference ID: 9380459# > Our speaker is Fitzhugh Elder, Deputy Staff Director for the Senate Appropriations Committee, who can provide the Majority perspective on how the 2017 appropriations process is likely to play out, and how the parameters for 2018 may change. We will also hear from CEF Board members about what it’s like to serve on the Board for those considering submitting a nomination by the November 28 deadline. > o December 2, 9-11am, at the NEA (News Conference Room, 1201 16th Street, NW). > Our speaker is Erica Navarro, who replaced Tom Skelly as the Department of Education’s new director of the Budget Service this summer. With the transition still to come, she won’t know about the Administration’s 2018 education priorities but can talk about how ED is preparing for the end of the fiscal year and the funding uncertainty, and what the budget preparation process is likely to look like for the 2018 budget. > o December 9, 9-11am, at the University of California (1608 Rhode Island Ave, NW, 1st Floor Auditorium). Speakers to be determined. > o December 16, 9-11am, at the 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. > > · Post-election briefing on December 7 with Chris Cillizza – CEF’s election debriefing has been rescheduled for Wednesday, December 7, and will feature Chris Cillizza of the Washington Post’s “The Fix <https://www.washingtonpost.com/news/the-fix/>” blog. Save up your questions on everything you ever wanted to know about the election, and more! Mark your calendars for that afternoon, and we will follow up with a specific time and venue as soon as possible. > > III. Advocacy > > · Nominations for CEF Board due Nov. 28 - Participation on the CEF board is a great way to be more involved in CEF’s advocacy and direction. As always, it’s important that our board represent the full range of CEF’s membership. Information and the nomination form is attached. Nominations are due by November 28, emailed to Alex Hoffberg at Hoffberg@cef.org <mailto:Hoffberg@cef.org>. > > · Annual membership survey – As part of our process for planning events and budgets for next year, we’d like your feedback about what is most helpful to you about CEF and our activities, and any areas where we can improve. If you haven’t already, please take the brief survey here: CEF Member Survey <https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/65T5KCY> > > > 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/> > >