Sequestration, Nondefense Discretionary (NDD) Programs, and NDDAY of Action
What is sequestration?
The Budget Control Act of 2011 (P.L. 112-25) established caps on discretionary spending over 10 years, resulting in $1 trillion in cuts spread across discretionary programs. The law also directed a congressional Joint Select Committee on Deficit Reduction to identify an additional $1.2 trillion in budgetary savings over ten years. The failure of the bi-partisan “super committee” to come to an agreement on a deficit reduction plan triggered “sequestration” to take effect on January 2, 2013.
To sequester means to set apart or to take something away until a debt has been repaid. In the context of funding federal programs, sequester means imminent, across-the-board cuts to most programs, both defense and nondefense—in addition to the $1 trillion in cuts already sustained through the Budget Control Act’s discretionary caps.
There are a few discretionary programs that are exempt from sequestration in the first year, such as Pell grants in the Department of Education. Some mandatory programs, such as Medicaid, are also exempt from the sequester.
What is “NDD?”
When thinking about the federal budget, policymakers differentiate between discretionary programs and “entitlement” programs. Discretionary programs are those that Congress funds annually through the appropriations process. “Entitlement” programs are those that are funded almost automatically to meet the needs of all who qualify for them. Every year, Congress must make an active decision on whether to fund discretionary programs and at what level.
Nondefense discretionary or “NDD” programs are all the programs that the government funds for the benefit of all outside of defense programming, including medical and scientific research; education and job training; infrastructure; public safety and law enforcement; public health; weather monitoring and environmental protection; natural and cultural resources; housing and social services; and international relations.
How will the sequester impact nondefense discretionary programs?
In 2013, the sequester will mean an automatic 8.4 percent cut to program funding levels in 2013 for most NDD programs. These cuts will truly be across-the-board, with no departmental or agency control on how the sequester impacts individual programs.
Cuts of this level will be devastating to the nation’s investment in scientific research. For example, according to a letter the Department of Health and Human Services sent to Congressman Ed Markey (D-MA), "The NIH could potentially eliminate 2300 new and competing grants, with 300 fewer grants given by NCI" if the sequester takes affect in January.
The Biophysical Society joined nearly 3000 other organizations in sending a letter to Congress in July asking them to use a balanced approach that does not include further cuts to NDD programs.
Conversations about how to address the “fiscal cliff” and avoid sequestration are happening NOW. It’s hard to believe, but it’s possible that a plan to avoid sequestration could actually be worse for NDD programs than sequestration itself.
What can you do? Participate in the NDDay of Action on December 10!
Let your Congressmen know that the nondefense discretionary community, including scientific research, has already done its part to reduce the deficit, and that any plan to reduce the deficit should not include more NDD cuts that harm American families.
Recommended message: " I suport a balanced approach to deficit reduction that does not include further cuts to nondefense discretionary (NDD) programs. These programs have already contributed to deficit reduction through the bipartisan Budget Control Act (BCA) and prior spending cuts."
There are a variety of actions you can take to participate:
Call, email, or send a letter to your Congressmen. Contact information available here.
Write a letter to the editor of your local newspaper.
Use Facebook and Twitter to share the message #NoMoreCuts to #science. Tweet directly to policymakers by using the twitter handle of the Member of Congress whose attention you are seeking. Sample tweets are available here.
Share the video, Don't Let US Science Go Off the Fiscal Cliff with your friends and colleagues via social media.
Take a few moments to record a video or write a few sentences about the importance of federal funding to your work and what would be lost if our leaders do not reach a bipartisan resolution to the budget impasse. AAAS is collecting these stories to share with lawmakers.
Visit the AAAS sequestration webpage and the NDD United Grassroots Toolkit to access up-to-date information and a wealth of resources dedicated to sequestration, the fiscal cliff, and budget negotiations.