Washington – Calling it a case of “educational malpractice, economically foolish and morally indefensible,” U.S. Secretary of Education Arne Duncan on Thursday pleaded with a Senate committee to stave off the 10 percent across-the-board cuts set to take place throughout the federal government on March 1.
Duncan said the cuts would be particularly harmful to the nation’s neediest students at the K-12 level and take a major toll on higher education.
“Education isn’t just another number in the budget,” Duncan told the Senate Committee on Appropriations. “Education is fundamentally an investment. It’s an investment in the future of our children, our economy, our competitiveness and our country.”
Duncan made his remarks during a full committee hearing on the impact of “sequestration,” the term being used to describe the looming across-the-board cuts meant to reduce the nation’s deficit by $1.2 trillion after a congressional “super committee” failed to reach a deal in 2011 on where to trim back.
In his oral testimony and written statement, Duncan outlined the impact that the “mindless” cuts would have on various programs funded by the U.S. Department of Education.
In the realm of higher education, Duncan said sequestration would:
• Cut $49 million from the federal Work-Study program, eliminating 33,000 students from participation.
