Latest from CEF. Joel followed early this morning with more details after getting a look at the draft bill, which was released very late last night. The bill actually raises the cap for NDD in FY 2016 by considerably less than what what he mentions in his email below: $25 billion for FY 2016 and $15 billion for FY 2017. The defense caps are raised by the same amount. Note that as of now, there is no news regarding how specific programs, like adult education, would be funded under this deal. As Joel notes below, assuming the deal passes, the Appropriations committees will set new 302(b) subcommittee allocations, and then each subcommittee will negotiate its portion of the omnibus. Jeff > Begin forwarded message: > > From: Joel Packer <jpacker@cef.org> > Subject: Monday Update > Date: October 26, 2015 at 6:52:40 PM EDT > To: Joel Packer <jpacker@cef.org> > > > > 1. Debt Ceiling/Budget Deal: As I previously reported, there are more details coming out on the purported budget deal. The House Republican conference is meeting at 6 PM to discuss it. Senate Republicans are also meeting tonight. > > Until it is filed, it is not final, so things can change, plus there are varying reports on the contents. It appears to increase the spending cap for NDD in FY 2016 by $33 billion, a bit less than the $37 billion the president has called for. Defense would get that same increase, though $16 billion of the defense increase would come through the Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund, and thus not have to be offset. In FY 2017, NDD would increase by $23 billion. However, the FY 2017 NDD cap is already slated to increase by about $10.2 billion under current law absent any other changes, so under this deal, the FY 2016 and FY 2017 NDD caps would be basically the same. Defense would also receive a $23 billion FY 2017 increase with $16 billion of that increase coming through OCO. > > If these numbers are correct, then this chart I just prepared <https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19p6j32JwToLUtOckdHUEhkVTA/view?usp=sharing> shows the NDD funding levels for FY 15, FY 16 and FY 17. > > Assuming the deal passes, then the Appropriations committees will fist on a bipartisan, bicameral basis have to set new 302(b) subcommittee allocations. Then each subcommittee would negotiate its portion of the omnibus, with anything subcommittee leaders can’t resolve getting kicked upstairs to the full committee leaders to resolve. Policy riders may well still prove problematic in that phase. > > The deal also includes a suspension of the debt ceiling through March 2017. The last few times the debt ceiling has been reached Congress has simply suspended it as opposed to raising it. That simply means that until the date of the suspension is reached there is no debt ceiling. At the expiration date of the suspension, the debt ceiling limit would be whatever the actual level of debt is on that date. > > The offsets are not totally clear, but apparently include additional oil sales from the Strategic Petroleum Reserve (though Majority Leader McConnell is opposing that), and offsets contained in HR 6, the 21st Century Cures Act (potentially including Limiting Federal Medicaid Reimbursement to States for Durable Medical Equipment and a Delay of Certain Payments to Medicare Prescription Drug Plans) Other offsets include reforms to the Agriculture Department's crop insurance program, curbing Medicare payments for outpatient services provided by hospitals, and extending a 2 percentage point cut in Medicare payments to doctors through the end of a 10-year budget. New auctions of electromagnetic spectrum to communications companies are also reported to provide offsets. > > Other offsets could include ending the yet-to be-enforced requirement in the health care law for large employers to automatically enroll their employees in a health care plan, which is also included in a House-passed reconciliation bill (HR 3762 ) and which the Congressional Budget Office estimated would save $7.9 billion over the next decade, a person familiar with the talks said. > > The deal contains other elements: addressing a looming increase in Medicare Part B premiums for about a third of the program's beneficiaries and making legislative changes to extend the solvency of the Social Security disability insurance trust fund. > > If this indeed all proves correct and passes, we should congratulate ourselves for playing a key role through CEF and NDD United on making this happen and raising the caps!!! > > In related news, over 120 House Democrats, led by Reps. DeLauro (CT), Van Hollen (MD), and Adam Smith (WA) sent this letter <https://drive.google.com/file/d/0B19p6j32JwToY0V2YmxNSDIzOVU/view?usp=sharing> today to the House leadership calling on Congress to replace sequestration for both defense and NDD. NDD United heled draft this letter. Thanks to everyone who contacted House offices asking members to sign on. > > CEF Gala Survey: Last call to complete our Gala survey! Please use this link to access the survey <https://www.surveymonkey.com/r/CEFGala2015>. Even if you did not attend, we’d appreciate it if you complete the survey, so we know why folks did not attend (it’s set up so there are fewer questions for those who did not attend). All responses are anonymous. We won't know who submits responses. It will take just a few minutes and be very valuable to us in planning future Galas. > 3. CEF Video: The CEF video that the Advocacy Committee organized with support from Brenda is now on the CEF website <http://www.cef.org/>. > > 4. Ed Guidance on Testing: Over the weekend, the White House released a video by President Obama <https://www.facebook.com/WhiteHouse/videos/10153858451374238> and fact sheet <http://www.ed.gov/news/press-releases/fact-sheet-testing-action-plan> about testing. The fact sheet outlines principles toward solutions on excessive and unnecessary testing; the Administration’s actions in this regard; and examples of state and local leadership in reducing over-testing. > > This morning at the National Press Club, Secretary Duncan and Senior Advisor Delegated Duties of Deputy Secretary King participated in a panel hosted by the Council of the Great City Schools (CGCS). The event featured the release of “Student Testing in America’s Great City Schools: Where Do We Go From Here? <http://www.cgcs.org/cms/lib/DC00001581/Centricity/Domain/87/Testing%20Report.pdf>” – CGCS’s two-year study on the frequency of student assessments. The study reviewed the assessment practices of 66 urban school systems to determine how, why, and when students in those districts take standardized tests. Michael Casserly, Executive Director of the Council of the Great City Schools; Chris Minnich, Executive Director of the Council of Chief State School Officers; and school superintendents were among the panelists. > 5. Education and the Workforce Hearing: The Education and Workforce Committee has announced the witnesses for its hearing tomorrow “Improving Career and Technical Education to Help Students Succeed in the Workforce”: > > Dr. Deneece G. Huftalin > President > Salt Lake Community College > Salt Lake City, Utah > > Dr. Douglas Major > Superintendent/CEO > Meridian Technology Center > Stillwater, Oklahoma > > Dr. Irelene Ricks > Director > Diversity in Life Science Programs > Keystone Symposia on Molecular and Cellular Biology > Silverthorne, Colorado > > Mr. Tim Johnson > Director of Government Relations > National Center for Construction Education and Research > Baton Rouge, Louisiana > > > > Joel Packer > CEF Executive Director > JPacker@cef.org <mailto:JPacker@cef.org> > 202-383-0083 > 202-255-0915 (cell) > www.cef.org <http://www.cef.org/> > www.Twitter.com/edfunding <http://www.twitter.com/edfunding> > NOTE OUR NEW ADDRESS > 1341 G Street, NW > Fifth Floor > Washington, DC 20005