The Budget Control Act (BCA) of 2011 was enacted to increase the national debt ceiling in exchange for more than $2 trillion in federal funding cuts over the next ten years. Under the BCA, $109 billion in automatic “across the board cuts” known as “sequesters” will go into effect on January 2, 2013. Under current law, these cuts will remain in place from 2013 through 2021. If Congress doesn’t address specific spending cuts and tax hikes during this lame duck session, then the sequester process will automatically go into effect. For workforce development programs this will represent a 20 percent cut overall compared to FY 2010 levels.
Thursday, November 15 will be a National Call To Action Day for ECC as we rally our Mayors to urge Congress not to cut important job training programs. Cuts in these programs compromise ECC efforts to train local residents for high road jobs, and we will continue to strive to promote our local economies.