August 1, 2011

Dear TRIO Colleague:

Today, Congress is voting on an agreement that will raise the debt ceiling by $900 billion through 2013. The bill will also cut discretionary spending in Fiscal Year 2012 (Program Year 2012-2013) by $7 billion. We will not know exactly what those cuts will mean for FY 2012 funding until December. However, the agreement also requires Congress to identify an additional $1.5 trillion in spending cuts over the next ten years by December 23, 2011. If Congress fails to do so, the legislation will trigger automatic across-the-board spending cuts that would reduce education spending by 6.7 percent, or $3 billion.

What does this mean for you and your TRIO program?

Simply put, every TRIO grant is in real jeopardy.

While nothing in the agreement impacts TRIO funding for the 2011-2012 program year, funding for TRIO programs in 2012-2013 could be cut dramatically as Congress tries to find ways to spread out the $7 billion funding cuts demanded by this legislation across several government programs.

Programs competing in FY 2012 – Upward Bound, Upward Bound-Math Science, Veterans Upward Bound, and McNair Postbaccalaureate Achievement – could see drastic reductions in the number of grants awarded or, quite possibly, the elimination of entire programs. Meanwhile, programs not up for competition in FY 2012 – Student Support Services, Talent Search and EOC – could experience major reductions in the size of their grant awards. (Remember, each Grant Award Notification contains “fine print” indicating that future grants are contingent upon congressional appropriations; therefore, there is no “guarantee” that you will receive the amount you would have received if there were no funding cuts.)

The only way to prevent such drastic cuts is to aggressively and continuously assert your entire community’s support and concern for TRIO to your Members of Congress over the next several months. This must become a routine practice for you and everyone else who cares about TRIO.

To help you do this, COE will begin sending out bi-weekly messages for you, your students, parents, alumni, and other TRIO supporters to send to Capitol Hill. Here is the first message for this week:

Dear [LEGISLATOR NAME]:

Do not put the future of 840,000 students at risk by including a decrease in TRIO funding in the discretionary cuts agreed to in the debt ceiling negotiations for FY 2012. A cut to TRIO is a cut against our investment in America’s students, veterans, adult learners, and students with disabilities. Our community cannot afford for any additional students to lose TRIO services. Please stand up and support TRIO and fight for this critical investment in America!

You can find contact information for all of your legislators at www.contactingthecongress.org.

Mass participation is vital to saving our programs!

Be on the lookout for future updates and action items from COE.

Thank you for your continued support of TRIO programs and students.

Sincerely,

Arnold Mitchem

President