CONTENTS
BUDGET, APPROPRIATIONS, & TAX ISSUES
- NDD United Urges Members of Congress to Replace Budget Sequestration
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
- Higher Education Community Submits Comments on Proposed Campus Rating System
BUDGET, APPROPRIATIONS, & TAX ISSUES
NDD UNITED URGES MEMBERS OF CONGRESS TO REPLACE BUDGET SEQUESTRATION
Under the banner of NDD United, an alliance of more than 2,100 organizations, including AAU, on February 18 sent a letter to all Members of Congress urging them to replace sequestration with a balanced approach to deficit reduction and to ensure that any sequester relief for discretionary spending be applied equally to defense and nondefense activities.
The letter details the harmful effects of cuts in the nondefense discretionary (NDD) portion of the federal budget under sequestration, discusses how those areas would be affected if sequestration remains in effect in FY16, and describes why funding for NDD programs should be strengthened, not cut. The letter adds:
“Deficit reduction measures enacted since 2010 have come overwhelmingly from spending cuts, with the ratio of spending cuts to revenue increases far beyond those recommended by bipartisan groups of experts. And there is bipartisan agreement that sequestration is bad policy and ultimately hurts our nation. Congress and the President must work together to end sequestration. Such sequestration relief must be equally balanced between nondefense and defense programs, as strong investments in both NDD and defense are necessary to keep our country competitive, safe, and secure.”
EXECUTIVE BRANCH
HIGHER EDUCATION COMMUNITY SUBMITS COMMENTS ON PROPOSED CAMPUS RATING SYSTEM
Twenty-six higher education associations, including AAU, on February 18 submitted comments to the Department of Education regarding its proposed Postsecondary Institution Ratings System. The comment letter expresses concern about the feasibility of a ratings system and the serious danger of unintended consequences. The letter strongly urges the Department to offer more details about its plans well before publishing any ratings, specifically to provide more information about any formulas it plans to use to rate institutions and any weights that would be applied.
As previously reported, AAU submitted its own comments to the Department of Education on February 3, expressing opposition to a new college rating system. The letter said:
“…We do not endorse a new rating system, and we are concerned that a rating system does not reflect the diversity of higher education institutions and their missions, and may confuse and mislead prospective students.”
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