Happy Election Day, Apologies for not getting this to you earlier. It’s been sitting in my outbox unsent since last week. Just to emphasize one point from below (under Advocacy) — the fact that subcommittee allocations have been given out is important. I am impressed at how everyone on the Hill is able to keep those numbers under wraps. And secondly, to reiterate why the “minibus” approach is not good for us: Labor-HHS-Education will go last (because it’s the hardest one to do, apparently), which means that members will have chance to load up the other bills before getting to ours. What will actually happen should hopefully start to become clearer once the election results are in. Jeff > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Sheryl Cohen <cohen@cef.org> > Subject: CEF Update 11.3.16 > Date: November 3, 2016 at 4:49:09 PM EDT > To: CEFMembersList <CEFMembersList@cef.org> > > > > Thursday, November 3, 2016 > > > Dear CEF Members: > > I. Advocacy > > · More Hill visits – CEF officers, Hill Teams co-chairs, and Sarah and I have now had 16 meetings with House and Senate Leadership and Appropriations Committee staffers, fairly evenly split between chambers and parties (9 with Senate offices and 6 with Republican offices). We have another meeting scheduled next week with Jason Unger with Senate Democratic Leader Reid. We are consistently hearing the same story: that subcommittee allocations have been given out; that Republicans want to pass all bills in two or three packages – so-called “mini-buses” that match up bills with pros and cons for both parties; and that public action is not likely to occur until after Thanksgiving, with the goal to be done by December 16 at the latest. That date would require passage of another short-term funding bill, as the current measure expires on December 9. We continue to use the charts <http://cef.org/category/charts-and-factsheets/> and materials we’ve shared with you to reinforce the importance of maximizing the federal investment in education. > > II. Policy Intelligence and Education News > > · Supplemental funding negotiations – Later this month the Administration will ask for an additional $6 billion in emergency war funding for the current fiscal year. The House defense appropriations bill allocated almost $18 billion of the Administration’s previously requested war funding for non-war purposes (war funding is not counted against the discretionary spending caps), which would leave a hole in what is needed for the war. Congress will have to negotiate how to resolve this, along with emergency funding on the non-defense side possibly for flood relief, prevention of opioid abuse, combatting Zika, and addressing contaminated drinking water in Flint, Michigan. These negotiations could affect the use of spending that is under the discretionary cap if some of these areas do not receive emergency funding, or if extra funding outside the caps takes the pressure off the low allocations. > > · Pell grant funding - On November 1st, Rep. Bobby Scott (D-VA), along with 123 other House Democrats, wrote a letter to Appropriations Committee leadership urging them not to deplete the current surplus in the Pell grant program to fund other programs. The letter reads, in part, “While the current fiscal climate makes the Pell Grant surplus an attractive funding vehicle for Congressional priorities outside of the Pell Grant program, we write to remind you that this funding is intended to serve the postsecondary educational needs of our nation’s low-income students.” Read the letter here <http://democrats-edworkforce.house.gov/imo/media/doc/Pell%20Letter.pdf>. > > III. Events > > · 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. Please take the brief survey here: CEF Member Survey <https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/65T5KCY> > > · ACG-hosted Member Lunches – We have had great turnout and conversations at the four lunches ACG has hosted during our series of biweekly lunches for CEF members. These are a fun way for me and the ACG team to get to know each member more personally and what your specific issues are. There is still space at next week’s lunch on Wednesday, November 9. You can sign up for it or later dates here: Member Lunches Sign Up <https://www.eventbrite.com/e/cef-member-lunches-tickets-27180617960> > > · Save the date: post-election debriefing – Mark your calendars for November 16 for CEF’s post-election “debriefing” on what just happened and what it means. Details on speakers and venue coming soon. > > · Friday morning meetings resume – Once Congress reconvenes we will also resume CEF’s regular Friday meetings. The first will be on November 18, 9-11am, at the University of California (1608 Rhode Island Ave, NW, 1st Floor Auditorium). > > · Nominations for CEF Board - Nominations for next year’s board are due by November 28 to CEF, emailed to Alex Hoffberg at Hoffberg@cef.org <mailto:Hoffberg@cef.org>. Information and the nomination form is attached. > > > 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/> >