With the passage of the funding agreement a few weeks ago, Congress in now beginning to work on the budget for fiscal year 2019 (FY19). They will start by making decisions on funding levels for many job-training and workforce development programs that many local Goodwill organizations use across the country.
READ MORE from The Time is NOW to Speak Out on the FY 2019 Budget
With negotiations, proclamations, Supreme Court declinations and twitterations, Immigration policy and budget talks are going into March like lions, but will they come out like lambs with resolution, or will this back and forth continue?
READ MORE from Of Lions and Lambs This March: Where Will Immigration Policy Go in the Next Month?
While Congress is still wrangling with budget and appropriations and passing legislation before focusing on the mid-term elections, state and local governments are hard at work as well, creating more opportunities to engage at the state level. Nearly every one of the nation’s Governors have provided their state of the state addresses to their constituents. Job creation and the skills gap was a major theme in all of the speeches, affirming that the important work of local Goodwills in providing job training and workforce development to those who face challenges to employment.
An estimated six million people make proposals around Valentine’s Day, and this week President Trump issued a proposal of his own, the Fiscal Year 2019 (FY19) budget proposal.
Once again, we find ourselves in a situation where the government is open at the time of this writing and the government may be closed by the time you read this. But the Senate has reached an agreement and a deal is on the table for the House to accept. What’s the deal?
President Trump delivered his first official State of the Union (SOTU) address, although he previously spoke to a joint session of Congress in the weeks following his inauguration. While the speech did not include much substantive detail around the proposals put forth, the President did touch upon a number of specific areas of interest to Goodwill and the people we serve.
READ MORE from State of the Union Address Offers Opportunities to Advocate
Fortunately, the recent government shutdown was short-lived and had a minimal impact on federal workers. However, funding battles still continue and early signs are pointing to another government shutdown may take place following the February 8th expiration of the latest continuing resolution (or stopgap funding bill).
At the time of this writing, the government is open. By the time you read this, the government might be shutdown. The federal government is being funded through a continuing resolution until midnight on Friday, January 19th, and has been running on a series of continuing resolutions maintaining spending at 2017 levels since the previous fiscal year expired last September 30. Now Congress is debating the details over passing another continuing resolution to keep the government open for four more weeks before doing this all over again. At issue is how much to spend on defense and non-defense programs, reauthorization of the Children’s Health Insurance Program (CHIP), granting relief for Dreamers, and whether or not to build a wall.
This upcoming Monday, January 15, local Goodwill organizations across the country will recognize Martin Luther King (MLK) Day. This holiday celebrates the life and achievements of Dr. Martin Luther King Jr., one of America’s most prominent civil rights leaders. In addition to being a federal holiday, MLK Day is also designated as a national day of service. For many Americans MLK Day represents a "day on, not a day off," as they go into their neighborhoods and communities looking for volunteer and service opportunities.
READ MORE from Goodwill® Recognizes Martin Luther King Day: A Day of Service
A mid-term election year can be a difficult one for Congress to accomplish a lot, however the GOP leadership of the 115th Congress and the Trump Administration have an ambitious to-do list for the year ahead. Budget issues and talk of a potential government shutdown are taking center stage this week as the government is funded only through January 19th. Congressional leaders from both parties and White House officials are holding a number of key strategy meetings to try and reach an agreement.
The end of the year is always the best time to reflect on our past accomplishments and to prepare for the challenges that await us the upcoming year. As 2017 quickly draws to close, the Goodwill Industries International (GII) government relations team is grateful for the work and effort of all Goodwill advocates. Because of your advocacy efforts we have been able to share the work and mission of local Goodwill organizations across the country.
Though the latest news is changing by the hour, word this morning is that Congress will consider a short-term spending bill to avoid a government shutdown. As the budget conversation moves further down the road, we are reminded of the programs at risk – programs funding for workforce development education and training that are more of a launching pad than a safety net – programs that help millions of individuals and families become self-sufficient and realize career opportunities. Cutting these programs from the budget would leave families, seniors, people with disabilities and others without options, struggling to make ends meet and to move forward.
READ MORE from Kicking the Can, Punting the Ball, Putting it On Layaway: Congress and the Budget
