Bit by bit, sequestration is making its impact: veterans are losing tuition reimbursements; public schools on American Indian reservations are trimming faculty and staff.
But Susan Muha, vice president of workforce and economic development at Cuyahoga Community College in Ohio, still isn’t sure how budget cuts will affect the school’s federal funding, especially for workforce development.
For example, the Cleveland-area college recently got a letter from the Department of Energy warning grant recipients to limit spending. When Muha called to follow up, she got different news.
“They said, ‘Oh, you’re under a different grant.’ It was from the stimulus funds, so that’s not affected.”
Such uncertainty about what’s included — and what’s not — means community colleges are at a standstill when planning on money for the next fiscal year.
The reduction, or sequester, is a $1.2 trillion package of cuts to discretionary and military programs. The legislation authorizing the cuts was passed two years ago and was designed to force Congress to reduce the national debt by presenting an onerous alternative.
That causes a clash of numbers. For example, President Obama’s 2013 budget requests $769.5 million for Workforce Investment Act training programs for adults. If approved, the program would be funded at the same level as in 2012. But the Department of Labor, which administers the money, warned that money for training programs will be reduced in July if the sequester continues.
