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NADO Applauds Rep. Michaud’s Letter to the President Supporting EDA

NADO Admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:23:26 +0000

On February 5, Rep. Mike Michaud (D-ME) sent a letter signed by 40 of his colleagues to President Obama urging him to support current funding for EDA at $257 million. The letter also highlights the many benefits of EDA projects, including critical infrastructure investments, and how they spur economic growth in communities that need it most. Click here to read the full letter.

President Asks Congress to Delay Sequester

NADO Admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:22:17 +0000

On February 5, President Obama asked Congress to pass a temporary package of spending cuts and tax reforms that would delay the across-the-board cuts to federal spending scheduled to occur on March 1, 2013. While the president did not offer any specific proposals on taxes or spending, House and Senate leaders are considering alternatives to delay sequestration. Under current law, sequestration would cut spending by $85 billion starting on March 1. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has announced that defense spending will face a 7.3 percent reduction in funding while non-defense programs will be cut by 5.1 percent. Additionally, Congress could include changes to the sequester cuts in an overall spending package for the remainder of FY2013 or through a more comprehensive agreement on government spending and taxes. The current Continuing Resolution expires on March 27, three weeks after the sequester cuts take effect. Click here to view the transcript of the President’s speech.

CBO Releases Report on Budget Outlook for the Next 10 Years

NADO Admin — Fri, 08 Feb 2013 20:20:38 +0000

On February 5, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) released its annual report on budget baseline and economic projections for the next 10 years. According to the report, CBO projects that the federal budget deficit will drop to $845 billion in 2013, down from $1.1 trillion in 2012. The CBO report also predicts that U.S. economic growth will slow this year due to tax increases enacted last month and the sequester cuts scheduled to take effect on March 1. The CBO also projects that the U.S. Department of Transportation’s Highway Trust Fund and Mass Transit Accounts will be solvent until September 2014, when the MAP-21 authorization law expires. Click here to read the full report.

In Case You Missed It: NADO on the Hill Preparation Webinar

NADO Admin — Thu, 07 Feb 2013 20:55:05 +0000

In case you or your staff missed NADO’s February 7 webinar providing an overview of the 2013 Washington Policy Conference: NADO on the Hill, a recording of the webinar and presentation slides are now available. View the slides here (PDF), or watch the recording above.

Information provided during the webinar included:

What is new about the Washington Policy Conference from previous years
How to set up introductory meetings with your members of Congress and staff
How to cultivate new relationships with elected officials
How will NADO assist you in setting up these meetings

Sequester Cuts Likely to Take Effect March 1

NADO Admin — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:11:58 +0000

This week, Congressional leaders have given little indication that Congress will prevent or postpone the automatic, across-the-board sequester cuts to federal spending scheduled to occur on March 1, 2013. Under current law, sequestration would cut spending by $85 billion starting on March 1. The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has announced that defense spending will face a 7.3 percent reduction in funding while non-defense programs will be cut by 5.1 percent. Congress could include changes to the sequester cuts in an overall spending package for the remainder of FY2013 or through a more comprehensive agreement on government spending and taxes. The current Continuing Resolution expires on expires on March 27, three weeks after the sequester cuts take effect.

Senate Passes Bill Suspending Debt Ceiling until May

NADO Admin — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:11:00 +0000

On January 31, the U.S. Senate passed H.R. 325, commonly known as the No Budget, No Pay Act, which extends the federal debt limit through May 19, preventing any threat of a government default before that date. Extending the debt ceiling ensures that the Treasury Department will be authorized to issue new debt so that current government obligations continue to be paid. A default of any type would likely have had extremely negative impact on the U.S. and global economy. The bill also contains a provision blocking the pay of House and Senate members if their respective chambers do not produce a budget resolution by April 15, as required by law. On January 23, the U.S. House passed H.R. 325, which now goes to President Obama who is expected to sign the measure. Click here to view the full text of H.R. 325.

NADO Supports Made in America Manufacturing Act Introduced in the House

NADO Admin — Fri, 01 Feb 2013 21:09:59 +0000

This week, NADO is pleased to announce that Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) recently introduced the NADO supported Make It In America Manufacturing Act (H.R. 375), a House companion bill to the Made in America Manufacturing Act introduced last week by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). This legislation would create a public-private partnership between the federal government, states, regions, the private sector, higher education, communities, and other critical stakeholders in implementing comprehensive Manufacturing Enhancement Strategies. States and regional partnerships would be eligible for grants to create and implement a comprehensive manufacturing plan. NADO members would likely be eligible for these grants, which could total up to $20 million per award. These funds, in addition to the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy grants, could be used to formulate policies that bring manufacturing jobs back to rural and economically distressed communities. Click here to read the full bill text of H.R. 375. Click here to read a summary of the legislation.

House Passes Bill Suspending Debt Ceiling until May

NADO Admin — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 19:28:28 +0000

On Wednesday, the U.S. House of Representatives passed H.R. 325, commonly known as the No Budget, No Pay Act. Most importantly, the bill extends the federal debt limit through May 19, preventing any threat of a government default before that date. Extending the debt ceiling ensures that the Treasury Department will be authorized to issue new debt so that current government obligations continue to be paid. A default of any type would likely have had extremely negative impact on the U.S. and global economy.

The bill also contains a provision blocking the pay of House and Senate members if their respective chambers do not produce a budget resolution, as required by law. House leaders included this provision because the Senate has failed to adopt a budget resolution for three years. Budget resolutions, while not carrying the force of law, help both chambers set spending priorities and enable a more predictable and efficient appropriations process. When the annual spending bills are not completed and the government relies on continuing resolutions, long-term planning for any agency or organization that receives federal funding is extremely difficult. The Senate has indicated it will pass H.R. 325 and President Obama has indicated that he will sign the legislation. Click here to view the full text of H.R. 325.

NADO Supports Made in America Manufacturing Act

NADO Admin — Fri, 25 Jan 2013 19:27:21 +0000

NADO is proud to support the Made in American Manufacturing Act, recently introduced by Sen. Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY). This legislation would create a public-private partnership between the federal government, states, regions, the private sector, higher education, communities, and other critical stakeholders in implementing comprehensive Manufacturing Enhancement Strategies. States and regional partnerships would be eligible for grants to create and implement a comprehensive manufacturing plan. NADO members would likely be eligible for these grants, which could total up to $20 million per award. These funds, in addition to the Comprehensive Economic Development Strategy grants, could be used to formulate policies that bring manufacturing jobs back to rural and economically distressed communities. For more information on Sen. Gillibrand’s legislation, click here.

President Obama’s 2014 Budget and the Debt Ceiling

NADO Admin — Fri, 18 Jan 2013 21:30:13 +0000

On January 14 the White House sent a letter to House Budget Committee Chairman Paul Ryan stating that the president’s FY2014 budget will not be submitted by February 4, as required by law. The White House has indicated that the lengthy negotiations over the “fiscal cliff” at the end of 2012 made preparing the FY2014 budget difficult. Congress and the White House have yet to complete the FY2013 budget process, relying instead on a Continuing Resolution (CR) that will continue government funding through March 27, 2013. Additional legislation will be required to fund government operations through the end of the fiscal year which ends September 31. The White House anticipates releasing the FY2014 budget in early March. As always, NADO will provide a comprehensive analysis of the president’s budget the week of its release.

While the White House is working on the FY2014 budget, lawmakers continue to discuss the imminent approach of the statutory debt ceiling. Under current law, the U.S. Government is only authorized to borrow $16.4 trillion. Without increasing this cap, the Treasury Department would not be allowed to borrow money to pay current government debts, leading to a possible government shutdown or a default on the national debt. Some Republicans in Congress are insisting on spending cuts or entitlement reforms to match an increase in the debt ceiling. At a press conference on January 14, President Obama insisted that he would not negotiate with Republicans over including any additional items in the debt ceiling, instead demanding an outright increase. The U.S. Treasury Department has indicated that the debt ceiling will be reached between late February and early March.