The administration’s plan is likely to face significant opposition in Congress, which last year rejected another administration plan to terminate Perkins. The proposals are similar, Hyslop says, and while Congress protected the program last year, there is some concern that budget pressures may be a greater issue this year.
“The wild card is that concern over the budget deficit is getting stronger. [Nonetheless], support for Perkins is very high,” she says.
Perkins is not the only education program that would be eliminated to help fund the new high school initiative. Upward Bound, Talent Search and GEAR UP college access and awareness programs also would be zeroed out. Coupled with the Perkins cut, the proposed reductions would total $2 billion, which is more than the cost of the new high school initiative.
The House and Senate have been debating budget issues throughout the month. For the current fiscal year, Congress voted to cut Perkins funding by 1 percent to help meet federal budget targets.
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