Hi everyone, here is a quick update from D.C.: The Senate took a brief recess the first half of August but are back this week. Senate Appropriations Committee Chairman Shelby (R-AL) has said that they will likely begin consideration of a fiscal year 2019 funding bill for both Defense and Labor-HHS-Education starting on Thursday, aka a “mini-bus” consisting of the FY 2019 Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies (Labor/HHS) and the FY 2019 Senate Department of Defense (DoD) Appropriations bills. CEF staff have been told that the Senate will likely be considering the package throughout the following week as well. There is so far no word on possible education-funding related amendments so far; I’ll let you know what I hear, and encourage others in the coalition to do the same. I just signed off on letters that CEF will be sending to House and Senate appropriators urging support for more education funding during the amendment process, and supporting the highest possible allocation for the bill when the House and Senate negotiate a conference agreement. The latter is very important if we are to preserve the proposed increase to WIOA Title II adult ed proposed by the Senate. I’ll share those letters after they are sent out. Jeff Jeff Carter Cell: (202) 374-4387 | @jeffcrtr Senior Policy Advisor National Coalition for Literacy www.national-coalition-literacy.org <http://www.national-coalition-literacy.org/> jcarter@literacypolicy.org <mailto:jcarter@literacypolicy.org> President, Committee for Education Funding Executive Director Physicians for Social Responsibility 1111 14th St, NW, Suite 700 Washington, DC 20005 www.psr.org <http://www.psr.org/> | jcarter@psr.org <mailto:jcarter@psr.org>