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Letter to Members of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies on funding for key domestic programs

Web Editor's Note: A similar letter was sent to members of the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services, Education, and Related Agencies

April 4, 2006

Members of the Appropriations Subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human
Services, Education, and Related Agencies
United States Senate
Washington, DC 20510

Dear Senator:

On behalf of the 1.4 million members of the American Federation of State, County and Municipal Employees (AFSCME), I am writing to urge you to adequately fund key domestic programs within the jurisdiction of the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Subcommittee of the Appropriations Committee.

These workforce, health care, human services and education programs, which are delivered primarily by state and local governments and nonprofit agencies, play an important role in enhancing economic opportunity, protecting the health and welfare of our citizens, and mitigating the worst effects of poverty, disease and disability. Over the last five years, funding for many of these programs has declined in varying degrees while others are only now beginning to fall behind. The President's budget request for these programs would continue the contraction of federal resources.

AFSCME is especially concerned about the funding levels for workforce programs and the Child Care and Head Start programs. Along with education, these programs help working families adjust to the continuing dislocations in the economy, develop skills that will enable them to have jobs that support a middle class life, and help them ensure their children will be in a safe place and have a range of educational services. In particular, AFSCME urges the following:

• State Employment Security Operations and Dislocated Workers: Funding for state employment service and unemployment insurance (UI) programs have fallen behind significantly since 2001. State employment service grants, an important pillar of local one-stop offices and state Trade Adjustment Assistance programs, would have to be funded at $931 million (including targeted reemployment services for unemployment insurance recipients) simply to match the 2001 inflation adjusted level. Instead, the Administration is requesting only $689 million, which represents $96 million less than the FY
  
• 2005 appropriation: We urge the restoration of funds to at least the FY 2005 level. In addition, we support the recommendation of the National Association of State Workforce Agencies for $3 billion for unemployment insurance administration and $1.5 billion for dislocated workers, the same amount as in the FY 2005 level.
  
• Child Care: The Child Care and Development Block Grant (CCDBG) program has experienced flat funding and across-the-board cuts since FY 2002. Even without the substantial demand for additional child care services that will result from the enactment of the new work requirements under the Temporary Assistance for Needy Families Program (TANF), 250,000 fewer children now receive child care assistance than in FY 2000. Working families are especially likely to be squeezed out of the system. AFSCME, therefore, urges the Subcommittee to increase CCDBG by $540 million.
  
• Head Start: Like the Child Care block grant, Head Start programs also would be flat funded under the President's request, resulting in about 19,000 children being cut from the program. AFSCME supports a funding level of $7.3 billion as proposed by a bipartisan group of House members led by Representatives Loretta Sanchez and Rob Simmons.

Funding levels proposed by the Administration in the areas of health, education and human services are also woefully inadequate.

• Health: Despite the growing number of uninsured and insufficient public health preparedness at the state and local level, the President's budget proposes reduced spending or elimination of a number of health programs. Rather than eliminate the Healthy Community Access Program and the Public Health Block Grant, we urge that both be continued with an appropriation equal to FY 2005 funding and an added inflationary adjustment. We agree with the call by Trust for America's Health (TFAH) to increase preparedness grants to state and local health departments to $950 million and preparedness grants to hospitals to $650 million. TFAH's recent evaluation of the states found that the vast majority are not adequately prepared for a major public health emergency. Similarly, we urge the Subcommittee to make a sustained commitment to help state and local governments prepare for pandemic flu by providing an appropriation for grants similar to the amount provided for the current year. We also urge that funding be appropriated to compensate those who suffer serious adverse effects from pandemic flu vaccine and other countermeasures.
  
• Education: In education, the President has called for the largest cut in the 26-year history of the Education Department with a $2.1 billion reduction. His budget not only falls $15.4 billion short of congressionally-authorized levels for the No Child Left Behind Act, but also asks for the elimination of 42 programs including vocational and technical education programs, GEAR UP, Safe and Drug-Free Schools and Communities State Grants, TRIO Talent Search and Upward Bound. And, despite unrelenting increases in tuition costs, Pell grants would be frozen again meaning that 460,000 low- and middle-income students will be denied low-cost loans for college. AFSCME urges you to reject these shortsighted policies and fund No Child Left Behind as close as possible to the authorized level of $22.75 billion and increase Pell grants by $500 to $4,550.
  
• Social Services: Funding for a range of social services for vulnerable seniors and children that protect them from abuse has been frozen or cut in recent years. This year, the Administration has requested an unprecedented $500 million cut in the Social Services Block Grant (SSBG) funding and flat funding for other social service programs, all of which will immediately and dramatically impact the ability of state and local social services agencies to meet vital needs for child care, foster care, child protective services, services for the disabled, adult protective services, and many other services that rely on SSBG funds. We urge you to reject this cut and to provide adequate funding for Child Welfare and related programs, including $505 million for the Promoting Safe and Stable Families program ($160 million in discretionary funding); $290 million for the Child Welfare Services program; $42 million for Child Abuse Prevention and Treatment Act state grant program; $1.8 billion for the Substance Abuse Prevention and Treatment Block Grant; and $420 million for the Substance Abuse Treatment program. In addition, we urge you to reject the proposed elimination of AmeriCorp's National Civilian Community Corps (NCCC) which engages young citizens in providing public service that addresses critical community needs. Currently, 1,100 NCCC members have been working tirelessly to bring immediate and long term relief to residents of the Gulf Coast who were so devastated by Hurricane Katrina.

Finally, we understand there are a number of significant program policy changes under consideration which we urge you to reject. They include the school voucher program for the District of Columbia, the possible use of private contract workers to certify continuing eligibility of UI claimants, and a prohibition against OSHA enforcement of an annual fit-test requirement under its respiratory protection standard (29 CFR 1910.134(f)(2)) as it applies to tuberculosis (TB).

In summary, the level and allocation of federal resources reveal a lot about where the Congress and the President want to take the country. The President's policies and his budget reflect a clear determination to retreat from the contribution the federal government has made in promoting the rights and aspirations of all Americans. We urge you to reject that goal and restore funding for the vitally important programs in the Labor, Health and Human Services and Education Appropriations bill for FY 2007.

     Sincerely,

     Charles M. Loveless
     Director of Legislation

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