Congress Expected to Pass FY 2013 Budget Deal, Averting Government Shutdown
March 21, 2013
The U.S. House of Representatives is expected to approve legislation today to fund the federal government for the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year, averting a government shutdown when the current budget measure expires on March 27, reports the Chronicle of Higher Education. If approved, the legislation moves on to the White House where it awaits President Obama’s signature.
The Senate, by a vote of 73 to 26, approved the continuing resolution on Wednesday along with a number of amendments affecting higher education.
One amendment, sponsored by Sens. James Inhofe (R-OK) and Kay Hagan (D-NC), would restore tuition assistance to all branches of the military. Over the past two weeks, the Army, Air Force, Marine Corps and Coast Guard announced that they would discontinue their Tuition Assistance (TA) programs in response to the mandatory spending cuts imposed by sequestration. The move would affect hundreds of thousands of service members who receive benefits through the program, which covers educational costs for active-duty members of the military.
The amendment would force the Department of Defense to retain TA funding, but does not specify how the agency is expected to cover the costs with a tighter budget. It is unclear whether the legislation would appropriate sufficient funding to fully maintain the program through the end of the year, which ends on September 30.
Another amendment, sponsored by Sen. Tom Coburn (R-OK), would limit funds to the National Science Foundation’s political science program. The legislation would broadly restrict the ability of the National Science Foundation to approve any grants involving political science unless the agency can certify them “as promoting national security or the economic interests of the United States.”
Sen. Tom Harkin’s amendment to increase funding for a variety of education and health care programs, including a $14 million boost to TRIO programs and an additional $140 million for the National Institutes of Health, was squashed late last week.
Both houses of Congress are also making significant headway on their fiscal year 2014 budget proposals.
Related Links:
The Chronicle of Higher Education
https://chronicle.com/article/Senate-Moves-to-Limit-NSF/138027/?cid=at&utm_source=at&utm_medium=en
Inside Higher Ed
Michelle Cormier Mott
share