April 12, 2011

Dear TRIO Colleagues:

The details of the Obama Administration’s agreement with the Republican-controlled House have now been released – and they are devastating.  The Administration did not push back against the Republican proposal – driven by an ideology that requires the elimination of services and protections for low-income families.  Rather, to protect its own priorities, the Administration agreed to cuts of at least $25 million in TRIO, bringing the appropriation from $853.1 million to below $828.4 million.  The cut included for GEAR UP is $20 million.  

This bill has not yet been passed by either the House or the Senate.  It is expected to go to the House floor on Thursday.  It is imperative that thousands of TRIO supporters register their opposition to the bill with their Senators and Congressman.  To do so, call the Capitol Switchboard at 202-224-3121 and say:

Vote against the so-called compromise agreed upon by the Administration and the Republican leadership.  The cuts to TRIO included in the bill will devastate low-income students, workers seeking retraining, and returning veterans in (name of state or community). 

E-mails to your Senators and Representatives are also encouraged.  A listing of these email addresses is available at www.contactingthecongress.org. 

If the bill does pass, it is not clear how the Department of Education will implement cuts to TRIO.  One possible approach is an across-the-board cut to all existing TRIO programs.  Another is to take all of the funding cuts from the Talent Search and EOC competitions.  This would result in nearly 100,000 young people and unemployed adults being denied services who otherwise would have received them.  If this so-called compromise passes, nearly 215,000 vulnerable low-income youth and adults will have been summarily kicked out of TRIO programs over the last six years.

Sincerely,

Arnold Mitchem

President