calls for greater and more effective federal investments in our nation’s skills, so more U.S. businesses can find the skilled workers they need to compete globally, and so all U.S. workers can share in and contribute to our country’s economic prosperity.
unemployed U.S. workers as of December 2011
U.S. adults lack basic literacy skills
of U.S. employers report being unable to fill current openings due to skills gaps
increase in Workforce Investment Act Title I participation since 2009
of job openings in 2008-2018 require postsecondary education
Each year, the House and Senate Budget Committees pass a “budget resolution” that establishes the broad spending levels and priorities for Congress for that year. Much like last year, House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan (R-WI) has proposed a Fiscal Year (FY) 2013 budget resolution that appears to nearly eliminate funding for federal job training programs and calls for deep cuts to Pell Grants for low-income students—cutting funding for education, training and social service programs by more than $16 billion, a 22 percent decrease from FY 2012. At a time when thirteen million Americans remain unemployed and employers struggle to fill job openings due to an inadequately skilled workforce, now is not the time to cut the programs that enable workers to gain the skills and education required to meet industry needs. CIAW urged House Members to oppose the Ryan budget resolution and instead ensure that we maintain meaningful investments in the skills of America’s workforce.
Each year, the House and Senate appropriations committees establish “302(b) allocations” that set overall funding levels for each of the twelve regular appropriations bills. CIAW joined with the Committee for Education Funding (CEF) and the Coalition on Health Funding (CHF) on this letter urging appropriators to adopt the highest possible 302(b) allocations for the FY 2013 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill. More than 900 national, state, and local organizations signed on to the letter.
The House FY 2012 draft Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill proposed numerous permanent eligibility changes and cuts to income eligibility limits that would have eliminated access to Pell Grants for more than half a million low- and moderate-income students in the first year alone. In response, the Campaign sent a letter to House and Senate authorizers and appropriators, urging them to reject these changes and instead focus on ensuring the broadest possible range of students could access Pell Grants to pursue skills and credentials with value in the labor market.
The House draft FY 2012 Labor-HHS-Education appropriations bill proposed extremely deep cuts to workforce funding, cutting more than $2 billion from Department of Labor training programs and recommending eligibility changes to Pell Grants that would eliminate access to postsecondary education for millions of low-income students, particularly nontraditional students. In response, the Campaign sent a letter to Senate appropriators calling on the committee to adopt workforce and education funding levels in the Senate Labor-HHS bill, which largely maintain FY 2011 funding levels.