By Catherine Brown, Senior Director, Policy and Advocacy
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Last night, by a vote of 217 to 215, the US House of Representatives passed its budget resolution, calling for $4.5 trillion in tax cuts and $2 trillion in spending cuts, including $330 billion in cuts to education programs,
over the next 10 years. Given the challenges the House has had electing a Speaker and passing funding bills through the normal appropriations
process in recent years, it was a surprise that the bill passed along party lines and indicates that the House GOP is unified and pressing forward with large cuts to education, health care, and other government programs. Only one Republican, Rep.
Tom Massie (R-KY) voted no, citing the bill’s effect of growing the national deficit. The budget bill includes a $4 trillion increase in the national debt limit.
The budget resolution sets overall and subject-specific spending targets but does not detail where the cuts will come from. That work will begin now. The House GOP offered a roadmap in January when they released a menu of options that included changes to the Pell Grant, Public Service Loan Forgiveness, income-driven repayment (IDR) options, and more.
While last night’s vote represented a meaningful step forward for the budget reconciliation process, there are many steps to go before this budget is implemented. The Senate passed its version of a budget resolution last week, which set the much lower spending cut target of $660 billion over 10 years, including $1 billion
in education, health, and labor programs. One key difference between the bills is that the House’s includes tax cuts while the Senate’s is focused only on immigration enforcement, military spending, and energy. Senate leadership has long expressed
a desire to write two reconciliation bills, with a separate bill for tax, while the House has preferred a comprehensive approach.
For a budget reconciliation bill to move through the Senate, it will have to meet the spending targets established in the Senate’s budget. The Senate could pass a new budget that is closer to the House’s version, or it could craft a reconciliation package
that aligns with the budget it has already passed.
Now that both chambers have passed their budgets - and the work of writing a budget reconciliation bill will begin in earnest - it’s a great time to reach out to your Members of Congress to express your strong support for federal financial aid. Contact
Louisa Woodhouse, Senior Associate, Policy (woodhouse@ncan.org) to get added to our Rapid Response list, through which you’ll receive our regular updates, talking points, and email templates.
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