The Senate approved its much anticipated subcommittee allocations for defense and domestic programs on Thursday morning, and advocates for key federal functions were left feeling…meh.
Some accounts saw nominal increases, but most are flat funded; including the largest nondefense allocation for health, education, and job training programs. The allocations confirm that in this era of austerity, meaningful or even appreciable growth is impossible under the strict discretionary caps enacted by the Budget Control Act (BCA). And it will only get worse when sequestration returns at full strength in 2016.
That’s why CRD Associates Senior Vice President Emily Holubowich, co-founder and co-chair of NDD United—a campaign to end sequestration and other budget cuts—and Marion Blakey, President and CEO of the Aerospace Industries Association representing defense and aeronautics industries teamed up to pen an editorial for The Hill’s Congress Blog. In “It’s Time to Reverse the Budget Caps,” Emily and Marion urge Congress to recognize that cutting away our nation’s security, innovation, and well-being is not a recipe for long-term success. In their words:
We have all watched Congress contort itself into knots, consuming valuable time searching for piecemeal workarounds to make austerity workable, while our military, police, scientists, teachers, elderly and children get less support even as the global environment grows more competitive and more dangerous. It’s time to eliminate the BCA caps, and empower future Congresses to perform one of their most fundamental missions – reviewing and providing for the needs of the nation, each year, based on current economic, social and national security circumstances.