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America First Budget Released

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The Trump Administration released its first budget, called the American First Budget this morning. Coming in at 62 pages total, the “America First” budget blueprint is what is known as a “skinny budget” is somewhat scant on details. The budget’s main theme is doing more with less by eliminating “nonfunctioning” or duplicative programs and wasteful spending; streamlining federal operations through accountability measures within the agencies; and regulatory reform. The $1.15 trillion proposal in discretionary spending would amount to an overall cut of 1.2 percent, when compared to current spending levels on an annualized basis, according to the White House document. The proposed cuts will be unpopular with Congressional Republicans and Democrats alike, most notably the proposed $5.8 billion cut to the National Institutes of Health. 

Agencies that would receive increased funding include, the Department of Defense, Department of Homeland Security, and Veterans Affairs.  The blueprint specifically calls out the need to ramp up and focus on military operations as well as border security. This increased spending would be accomplished without increasing the deficit by cutting the amount nondefense discretionary (NDD) spending.  All other NDD agencies mentioned are cut between 0.8-31%. Of note, there is no mention of the National Science Foundation anywhere in this document.  

Previously reported items – such as the $54 billion in defense spending (a $52 billion increase over FY2017 CR levels) to the DOD is included to ramp up military readiness and operations; a 6.8% increase to DHS, including $1.5 billion to remove illegal immigrants and $2.6 billion for a wall along the southern border; cuts to NOAA’s Sea Grant and EPA programs – are included in the blueprint. What has not been widely reported is the Administration’s request for an additional $65 billion for the DOD’s Overseas Contingency Operations (OCO) fund. This funding does not count against the budget caps in the sequester.

In terms of next steps, it should first be noted that the Administration’s budget is a kickoff to the negotiations of the upcoming fiscal year’s budget and appropriations negotiations. In this case, that would be FY2018. It is a guiding document intended to give a glimpse into the priorities and intended policies of the Administration and it is rarely, if ever, taken up whole cloth by Congress.

Second, this blueprint, as it is presented, is not possible under the current budget structure without Congress acting legislatively. The Budget Control Act, which created the sequester, specifically created a firewall between defense spending and NDD spending. This means, the White House and Congress cannot cut NDD funds to shift over to defense funding without changing the law. If defense spending increases or decreases, so must the other.  It cannot be done by budget reconciliation alone; all changes will require 60 votes in the Senate.

This budget proposes devastating cuts to scientific programs. It would eliminate long-standing, successful programs, which have had profound impact on our community and the nation. These are programs that enjoy bipartisan support in Congress. Many of the programs listed for cutting or reductions are long-time federal priorities of the UW and Congress, including funding NIH. UW has long-advocated for the value of these programs and their funding and we will continue to do so to our delegation and with fellow universities and broader stakeholders within an interest in preserving this funding.

There are a host of programs singled out to be cut. Those are listed at the end.

Here are highlights:

USDA

USDA is cut by 21% to $17.9 billion from the FY 2017 CR level.

  • SNAP and WIC are preserved at $6.2 billion to serve all projected participants.
  • Fully funds wildland fire preparedness and suppression activities at $2.4 billion.
  • Continues to fund NIFA, ARS and ag research at $350 million (which is a cut), while prioritizing agriculture and food issues such as increasing farming productivity, sustaining natural resources, including those within rural communities, and addressing food safety and nutrition priorities.

—

Commerce

Commerce is cut by 16% or $.15 billion over FY2017 CR levels to $7.8 billion.

  •  Eliminates the Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program.
  •  Cuts $250 million in targeted National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration (NOAA) grants and programs supporting coastal and marine management, research, and education including Sea Grant (because Sea Grant primarily benefits industry and State and local stakeholders). The budget maintains these programs are a lower priority than core functions maintained in the Budget such as surveys, charting, and fisheries management. It does not go into detail as to which NOAA coastal and marine programs are cut, but it is presumed to be NOAA’s Ocean and Atmospheric Research office.
  • National Weather Service forecasting capabilities are preserved by investing more than $1 billion while continuing to promote efficient and effective operations.
  • Maintains NOAA’s Joint Polar Satellite System and Geostationary Operational Environmental Satellite programs to remain on schedule.

—

Defense

DOD receives $639 billion, which is a $54 billion total increase (a $52 billion increase from the 2017 annualized CR level). The total includes $574 billion for the base budget, a 10% increase from the 2017 annualized CR level, and $65 billion for Overseas Contingency Operations.

—

Education

ED is cut by $9 billion, or 13% from the FY2017 CR levels, to $59 billion.

  • School Choice options are ramped up by $1.4 billion to a total of $20 billion (it also assumes $100 billion in state and local funding). This additional investment in 2018 includes a $168 million increase for charter schools, $250 million for a new private school choice program, and a $1 billion increase for Title I, dedicated to encouraging districts to adopt a system of student based budgeting and open enrollment that enables Federal, State, and local funding to follow the student to the public school of his or her choice.
  • Maintains IDEA funding of $13 billion.
  • Maintains Pell Funding at $3.9 billion, but cancels/rescinds the $3.9 billion carryover funding, which ensured the stability of the program.
  •  Eliminates:
    • Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants
    • 21st Century Community Learning Centers
    • Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
    • Striving Readers
    • Teacher Quality Partnership
    • Impact Aid Support Payments
  • International Education programs are eliminated, which is presumed to be Title VI International Education and Fulbright-Hays.
  • Cuts TRiO and GEAR UP programs by $193 million to $808 million from the FY2017 CR level. In FY2016, TRiO was funded at $900 million and GEAR Up received $323 million. It is unclear how the cuts will be allocated. The budget says, “Funding to TRIO programs is reduced in areas that have limited evidence on the overall effectiveness in improving student outcomes. The Budget funds GEAR UP continuation awards only, pending the completion of an upcoming rigorous evaluation of a portion of the program.”

 —

Energy

DOE is cut by 5.6% percent to $28 billion.

  • $120 million to restart licensing activities for the Yucca Mountain
  • $6.5 billion to advance the Environmental Management program mission of cleaning up the legacy of waste and contamination from energy research and nuclear weapons production.
  •  Office of Science is cut by $900 million (it is unclear what and where). The FY 2016 level is $5.3 billion. The cut ensures the Office of Science “continues to invest in the highest priority basic science and energy research and development as well as operation and maintenance of existing scientific facilities for the community.”
  • “Focuses funding for the Office of Energy Efficiency and Renewable Energy, the Office of Nuclear Energy, the Office of Electricity Delivery and Energy Reliability, and the Fossil Energy Research and Development program on limited, early-stage applied energy research and development activities where the Federal role is stronger.” This presumes a cut, reflected in the overall cut, and reprioritization of projects and programs, but there are no details.
  • Eliminates
    • ARPA-E
    • Title 17 Innovative Technology Loan Guarantee Program
    • Advanced Technology Vehicle Manufacturing Program
    • Weatherization Assistance Program
    • State Energy Program

 —

HHS

HHS is cut by 17.9%, or $15.1, billion to $69 billion. (Right now, this is a nonstarter with Congress and totally in opposition to the efforts of the House and Senate in the last two appropriations cycles and the December 2016-passed 21st Century Cures Act).

  • $500 million increase to opioid abuse funding
  • Recalibrates Food and Drug Administration (FDA) medical product user fees to over $2 billion in 2018, approximately $1 billion over the 2017 annualized CR level, and replaces the need for new budget authority to cover pre-market review costs. (NOTE: Congress sets the product user fees, not the Administration).
  • Cuts National Institutes of Health’s (NIH) by $5.8 billion to $25.9 billion and proposes unclear “consolidations and structural changes across NIH organizations and activities.”
  • Creates a new Federal Emergency Response Fund to rapidly respond to public health outbreaks, such as Zika
  • Eliminates:
    • Eliminates $403 million in health professions and nursing training programs, which is assumed to be Title VII and Title VIII programs.
    • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
    • Community Services Block Grant (CSBG)
    • Fogarty International Center
  • Consolidating the Agency for Healthcare Research and Quality within NIH

 —

Homeland Security

DHS receives a 6.8% increase to $44.1 billion.

  • Adds $2.6 billion for a wall along the US’s southern border.
  • Adds $314 million to recruit, hire, and train 500 new Border Patrol Agents and 1,000 new Immigration and Customs Enforcement law enforcement personnel in 2018.
  • Adds $1.5 billion for expanded detention, transportation, and removal of illegal immigrants.
  • Adds $1.5 billion for DHS cyber activities that protect Federal networks and critical infrastructure.
  • Restructures selected user fees for the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) and the National Flood Insurance Program (NFIP) to ensure that the cost of Government services is not subsidized by taxpayers who do not directly benefit from those programs. (Most of these are Congressionally directed, but reauthorized semi annually).
  • Cuts FEMA by $667 million including cutting Pre-disaster Mitigation Grants and Proposes a 25% nonfederal cost share match on FEMA preparedness grants.
  • Eliminates “unauthorized or underperforming” TSA programs by $80 million. 

— 

Housing and Urban Development

HUD is cut by $6.2 billion, or 13.2%, to $40.7 billion.

  •  Increases safe and healthy lead-safe homes programs by $20 million to $130 million.
  •  Eliminates
    • Community Development Block Grant (CDGB) ($3 billion)
    • HOME Investment Partnerships Program
    • Choice Neighborhoods
    • Self-help Homeownership Opportunity Program
    • Section 4 Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing

 —

Interior

DOI is cut by 12%, or $1.5 billion, to $11.6 billion.

  • Increases funding by an unspecified amount for DOI programs that support environmentally responsible development of energy on public lands and offshore waters.
  •  Eliminates unnecessary, lower priority, or duplicative programs, including discretionary Abandoned Mine Land grants that overlap with existing mandatory grants, National Heritage Areas that are more appropriately funded locally, and National Wildlife Refuge fund payments to local governments that are duplicative of other payment programs.
  • Reduces funds for new federal lands acquisition.
  • Reduces funds for other DOI construction and major maintenance programs.
  • $900 million for DOI’s U.S. Geological Survey to focus investments in essential science programs. This includes funding for the Landsat 9 ground system, as well as research and data collection that informs sustainable energy development, responsible resource management, and natural hazard risk reduction, which is a slight cut.

 —

Justice

DOJ is cut by 3.8 percent or $1.1 billion to $27.7 billion.

  • An increase of $249 million, or 3 percent, above the 2017 annualized CR level for the Federal Bureau of Investigation (FBI), including $61 million more to fight terrorism and combat foreign intelligence and cyber threats and address public safety and national security risks that result from malicious actors’ use of encrypted products and services.
  •  An increase of $80 million to hire 75 additional immigration judge teams.
  • $171 million increase for additional short-term detention space to hold Federal detainees, including criminal aliens, parole violators, and other offenders awaiting trial or sentencing.
  • Cuts federal prison construction due to an over-abundance in space but provides $80 million for the activation of an existing facility to reduce high security Federal inmate overcrowding and a total of $113 million to repair and modernize outdated prisons.

 —

Labor

DOL is cut by 21%, or $2.5 billion, for $9.6 billion for the Department of Labor, a $2.5 billion or 21 percent decrease.

  • Eliminates:
    • Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
    • Bureau of International Labor Affairs grant program
    • Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s unproven training grants
  • Decreases Federal support for job training and employment service formula grants, shifting more responsibility for funding these services to States, localities, and employers.
  • Refocuses the Office of Disability Employment Policy, eliminating less critical technical assistance grants and launching an early intervention demonstration project to allow States to test and evaluate methods that help individuals with disabilities remain attached to or reconnect to the labor market.

 —

International Programs

USAID is cut by 28% to $25.6 billion. The Budget also requests $12.0 billion as Overseas Contingency Operations funding for extraordinary costs, primarily in war areas like Syria, Iraq, and Afghanistan, for an agency total of $37.6 billion. Treasury International Programs are cut by $803 million or 35% to $1.5 billion.

  • Gives $3.1 billion for Israel
  • Eliminates
    • Global Climate Change Initiative
    • Emergency Refugee and Migration Assistance
    • Complex Crises Fund
    • The Budget also eliminates direct appropriations to small organizations that receive funding from other sources and can continue to operate without direct Federal funds, such as the East-West Center, but no other specific programs are mentioned.
  • Reduces funding for the Department of State’s Educational and Cultural Exchange (ECE) Programs.
  •  Cuts $650 million from multilateral development banks, including the World Bank.

 —

Transportation

DOT would be cut by 13% or $2.4 billion to $16.2 billion. Most notably this budget would initiate a multi-year reauthorization proposal to shift the air traffic control function of the Federal Aviation Administration to an independent, non-governmental organization.

  • Eliminates:
    •  Essential Air Service (EAS) program
    • TIGER Grants because they are unauthorized

— 

Treasury

Treasury is cut by 4.1% to $12.1 billion.

  • Cuts IRS by $239 million and presumes to make everyone e-file.
  • Eliminates
    • Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund grants
  • Cuts duplicative staff.

 —

Veterans Affairs

The VA gets a 6% increase to $78.9 billion.

  • $4.6 billion increase in discretionary funding for VA health care
  • Extends and funds the Veterans Choice Program

 —

EPA

The EPA is cut by 31% or $2.6 billion to $5.7 billion including eliminating 3,200 of the EPA workforce.

  • $2.3 billion for the State Revolving Funds, which is a $4 million increase.
  • $20 million for the Water Infrastructure Finance and Innovation Act program.
  •  Reins in Superfund administrative costs and emphasizes efficiency efforts by funding the Hazardous Substance Superfund Account.
  •  Eliminates, (not wholly inclusive):
    • Funding for the Clean Power Plan
    • International climate change programs
    • Climate change research and partnership programs (presumed to be EPA STAR grants)
    • Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Chesapeake Bay, and other geographic programs.
    • Energy Star Program
    • Targeted Airshed Grants
    • Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program
    • Infrastructure assistance to Alaska Native Villages and the Mexico Border
  • Reduces EPA’s Office of Enforcement and Compliance Assurance budget to $419 million, which is a $129 million cut.
  • Cuts Categorical Grants by $82 million to $597 million.

 —

NASA

NASA has a .8% decrease to $19.1 billion.

  • Eliminates for Earth Sciences missions (PACE, OCO-3, DSCOVR, Earth-viewing instruments, and CLARREO Pathfinder)
  • Reduces funding for Earth science research grants to an unknown amount.
  • Eliminates the Office of Education, which includes NASA Space Grant 

—

Small Business

SBA is cut by 5% to $826.5 million. Cuts PRIME technical assistance grants, Regional Innovation Clusters, and Growth Accelerators. Maintains $28 million in microloan financing and technical assistance to help serve, strengthen, and sustain the smallest of small businesses and startups.

 

Specific Programs Cited for Elimination:

  • African Development Foundation
  • Appalachian Regional Commission
  • Chemical Safety Board
  • Choice Neighborhoods (HUD)
  • Community Development Block Grant (CDBG) at HUD
  • Community Development Financial Institutions (CDFI) Fund grants (Treasury)
  • Community Services Block Grant (CSBG) at HHS
  • Corporation for National and Community Service
  • Corporation for Public Broadcasting
  • Delta Regional Authority
  • Denali Commission
  • DOE’s ARPA-E
  • Economic Development Administration
  • ED’s Supporting Effective Instruction State Grants
  • ED’s 21st Century Community Learning Centers
  • ED’s Supplemental Educational Opportunity Grant
  • ED’s International Aid Programs
  • ED’s Striving Readers
  • ED’s Teacher Quality Partnership
  • ED’s Impact Aid Support Payments
  • EPA change research and partnership programs (presumed to be EPA STAR grants)
  • EPA Great Lakes Restoration Initiative, the Chesapeake Bay, and other geographic programs.
  • EPA Energy Star program
  • EPA Targeted Airshed Grants
  • EPA Endocrine Disruptor Screening Program
  • EPA infrastructure assistance to Alaska Native Villages and the Mexico Border
  • HHS’s health professions and nursing training programs (presumably Title VII and Title VIII)
  • HUD’s HOME Investment Partnerships Program
  • HUD’s Section 4 Capacity Building for Community Development and Affordable Housing
  • HUD’s Self-help Homeownership Opportunity Program
  • Institute of Museum and Library Services
  • Inter-American Foundation
  • U.S. Trade and Development Agency
  • Legal Services Corporation
  • Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP)
  • Manufacturing Extension Partnership (MEP) program
  • Minority Business Development Agency
  • National Endowment for the Arts
  • National Endowment for the Humanities
  • NASA Office of Education, including NASA Space Grant
  • Neighborhood Reinvestment Corporation
  • Northern Border Regional Commission
  • Occupational Safety and Health Administration’s training grants
  • Overseas Private Investment Corporation
  • State Criminal Alien Assistance Program
  • Labor’s Senior Community Service Employment Program (SCSEP)
  • Transportation’s Essential Air Service (EAS) program
  • USDOT  TIGER Grants
  • United States Institute of Peace
  • United States Interagency Council on Homelessness
  • USDA Water and Wastewater loan and grant program
  • USDA McGovern-Dole International Food for Education program
  • USDA Rural Business and Cooperative Service, reduces discretionary activities
  • Woodrow Wilson International Center for Scholars

 

 

 

DeVos Confirmed

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Today, the Senate confirmed Betsy DeVos as Secretary of Education. The vote was 51-50 — a tie that forced Vice President Mike Pence to cast the deciding vote. The Vice President has never had to cast the deciding ballot in a confirmation vote before.

DeVos becomes the nation’s 11th Secretary of Education after long and contentious confirmation process.

Senators Susan Collins (R-ME) and Lisa Murkowski (R-AK) voted with the all the Senate’s Democrats and independents in voting against DeVos. They are the first Republican lawmakers to break with their party in President Donald Trump’s Cabinet confirmation process.

Senate Democrats held the floor throughout the night and Tuesday morning, a final push in a vocal campaign by DeVos’ opponents to convince one more Republican to vote against DeVos’ confirmation.  

Domestic Policy Council, Staff Announcements

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Trump has announced his Domestic Policy Team.

Andrew Bremberg, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council — Andrew Bremberg worked at the U.S. Department of Health and Human Services from 2001 to 2009, including serving as the Chief of Staff for the Office of Public Health and Science. He later served as Policy Advisor and Counsel on Nominations for Senator Mitch McConnell. He worked as the Policy Director for the 2016 Republican Party Platform. He now works in a lead policy and administrative role on the Presidential Transition Team. Mr. Bremberg received a J.D. from the Catholic University of America Columbus School of Law and a B.A. from the Franciscan University of Steubenville.

Paul Winfree, Deputy Director of the Domestic Policy Council and Director of Budget Policy — Paul Winfree was Director of the Thomas A. Roe Institute for Economic Policy Studies, the Center for Data Analysis and the Richard F. Aster Research Fellow, all at The Heritage Foundation. Prior to joining Heritage, Mr. Winfree was the Director of Income Security on the U.S. Senate Committee on the Budget. He has a Master of Science degree in economics and economic history from the London School of Economics and a Bachelor of Science degree in economics from George Mason University.

Katy Talento, Healthcare Policy — Katy Talento, an infectious disease epidemiologist with nearly 20 years of experience in public health and health policy, as well as government oversight and investigations and program evaluation, served on the campaign since July 2016. Ms. Talento has spent 12 years in the U.S. Senate, working for five Senators and two committees. A graduate of Harvard School of Public Health and the University of Virginia, she has also worked in the field on disease control programs in the U.S. and in Africa.

Ja’Ron Smith, Urban Affairs and Revitalization — Ja’Ron K. Smith has served as a Congressional staff member for nearly a decade. Smith served the House Republican Conference legislative staff under then-Chairman Mike Pence prior to joining the Republican Study Committee to serve on the professional policy staff under Congressman Jim Jordan. He later served as Economic Advisor to Senator Tim Scott and currently works as the Director of External Affairs for Generation Opportunity. Mr. Smith was born in Cleveland, Ohio and is a double graduate of Howard University with a BBA in Finance and a Masters in Divinity.

Rob Goad, Education Policy — Rob Goad currently serves on the Presidential Transition as the education lead for the implementation of the President-elect’s education policy agenda. Prior to developing education policy for the President-elect’s successful campaign, Mr. Goad served as a Senior Policy Advisor to House Policy Committee Chair Luke Messer focusing on education issues. He also played a pivotal role advancing school choice policies as Director of the Congressional School Choice Caucus. Mr. Goad received a bachelor’s degree in political science at Indiana University.

John Zadrozny, Justice and Homeland Security Policy — John Zadrozny has worked for the past six years on the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, the Senate Committee on Foreign Relations, and the Senate Committee on the Judiciary for Senator Ted Cruz. Prior to working on Capitol Hill, he served in the Office of National Drug Control Policy and the Department of State. Mr. Zadrozny has a J.D. from Catholic University’s Columbus School of Law in Washington, D.C. and a B.A. in History from Fordham University in Bronx, where he graduated magna cum laude.

Zina Bash, Regulatory Reform, Legal and Immigration Policy — Zina Bash has held a variety of positions in business, law and government, and currently serves as the Executive Vice President of Operations and Business Development at Doctors’ Hospital at Renaissance. Her previous positions include Deputy Director of Policy and Communications for Senator Ted Cruz’s presidential campaign and Senior Counsel to the Senate Judiciary Committee in Senator John Cornyn’s office. Ms. Bash also practiced law as an appellate attorney at international law firm Gibson Dunn, & Crutcher LLP. Fluent in Spanish as a native speaker, she earned a bachelor’s degree from Harvard College, a J.D. from Harvard Law School and an M.B.A. from Wharton Business School. Ms. Bash also served as a law clerk to Justice Samuel Alito of the U.S. Supreme Court and Judge Brett Kavanaugh of the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit.

Peter J. White, Senior Policy Analyst — Peter White received his J.D. from American University’s Washington College of Law and has worked at the Federal Trade Commission and the Federal Communications Commission. Most recently, Mr. White served as Legislative Counsel for Congressman Mo Brooks. Licensed to practice law in the District of Columbia, Mr. White is an active member of the Federalist Society and performs pro bono legal work for the Washington Legal Clinic for the Homeless.

Additionally, the following team members are joining the Office of the Senior Advisor to the President for Policy, and will help to develop all policy and administer all functions underneath the umbrella of the Office, such as the formulation of a pro-worker agenda — including support for affordable childcare and family initiatives.

Office of the Senior Advisor to the President for Policy, Staff Announcements:

Carlos Diaz-Rosillo, Director of Policy and Interagency Coordination — Carlos Diaz-Rosillo brings a wealth of experience on presidential power, administrative action, executive leadership and the policymaking and executive action process to this key role. Mr. Diaz-Rosillo has been serving on the President-elect’s Transition Team as Policy Implementation Executive Authority Advisor and White House Lead. He is fluent in Spanish, and graduated summa cum laude with degrees in International Relations (B.A.) and Civil Engineering (B.S.C.E) from Tufts University and Public Policy (M.P.P) and Government (A.M., PhD) from Harvard University, where he has been a member of the faculty of government for more than eight years.

Vince Haley, Advisor for Policy, Strategy and Speechwriting — Vince Haley is a longtime associate of former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. He served as policy director and later campaign manager of Gingrich’s 2012 presidential campaign. Mr. Haley holds an undergraduate degree from the College of William & Mary, a law and Master’s degree from the University of Virginia, and a Master’s of law from the College of Europe. During the President-elect’s successful campaign, Mr. Haley developed ethics reform policies.

Ross Worthington, Advisor for Policy, Strategy and Speechwriting — Ross Worthington was a longtime aide to former U.S. House Speaker Newt Gingrich. He served as research director for Gingrich, deputy communications director for Gingrich’s 2012 presidential campaign and later as Gingrich’s primary writer. He is a graduate of Brown University, where he concentrated in Political Theory. During the campaign, Mr. Worthington, together with Mr. Vince Haley, worked to formulate and communicate policies that advanced the Trump agenda.

Ryan Jarmula, Advisor for Policy Development and Speechwriting — Ryan Jarmula served as a member of Vice President-elect Mike Pence’s staff for a number of years. As a member of then-Congressman Pence’s Capitol Hill office, he handled a variety of issues including foreign affairs, and later served Pence in his capacity as Governor of the State of Indiana as Policy Director for Veterans Affairs and most recently as Speechwriter. During the campaign, Mr. Jarmula worked on Stephen Miller’s staff and had an active role in policy development. Mr. Jarmula is a graduate of Indiana University and completed his B.A. while majoring in political science in 2007.

Robert Gabriel, Special Assistant to the Senior Advisor — Robert Gabriel served as policy advisor on the President-elect’s campaign and assisted the National Policy Director in policy development, speechwriting functions, and staff management. He received a B.A. in Economics with a concentration in Policy from New York University.

Foxx to be Chair of House Education and Workforce Cmte, Trump’s Ed Landing Team

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With approval of the full Republican conference, the House Republican Steering Committee has selected Rep. Virginia Foxx (R-NC) as the chairwoman of the House Committee on Education and the Workforce in the 115th Congress.  She grew up in Appalachia without power and running water and began working as a weaver at age 12 to help support her family. These experiences convinced her that it’s an individual’s hard work, and not federal programs, that lead to success.

As the 73-year-old GOP lawmaker and former community college president, Foxx has been a staunch critic of the Obama Administation’s Department of Education efforts. 

She is a strong supporter of school choice and supports the president-elect’s $20 billion school choice plan emphasizing vouchers. Specifically, she wants to examine the billions doled out annually under Title 1 — a Great Society program that boosts funding to schools catering to poor students. The money is now considered a possible funding source for Trump’s school choice plan. Other items on her agenda: 

  • reexamine the role of the Education Department’s Office for Civil Rights, which conservatives revile for its focus on issues such as campus sexual assault and bathroom access for transgender students;

  • reverse a Democratic Congress’ decision to have the Education Department, not banks, issue student loans; and 

  • reverse regulations targeting for-profit colleges.

—

Mike Pence’s former general counsel has joined the landing team at the Education Department. Attorney Thomas Wheeler was named to the team Thursday. He served as general counsel for Pence during his time as Indiana governor, according to a 2013 press release from the Republican National Lawyers Association that announced him as a member of its board of governors. Wheeler also has extensive experience representing schools on legal issues, including civil rights-related cases, according to the web site for his law firm in Indianapolis, Frost Brown Todd, LLC.

DeVos to be ED Secretary

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President-elect Donald Trump is nominating Betsy DeVos for Education Secretary. A billionaire GOP donor, she also once served as head of the Michigan Republican Party.

DeVos is a vocal advocate of allowing parents to use school vouchers to seek alternative schools and other policies strongly opposed by teachers unions. She is the current chairwoman of the American Federation for Children, an education advocacy group pushing school-choice-friendly policies.