(Washington, DC)–US Representative Sue Myrick (NC-09) has released the following statement after voting in favor of the short term Continuing Resolution passed by the House this afternoon. This bill funds the government for the next two weeks, and includes spending cuts to save American taxpayers $4.01 billion. 

“Once again, the House has passed a fiscally responsible bill that continues to fund the federal government while saving taxpayer dollars,” Myrick said.  “Without addressing spending levels, we cannot hope to get our fiscal house in order.  It is my hope that the Senate quickly passes this resolution, giving the House and Senate more time to work toward passing a long-term Continuing Resolution for the remainder of the fiscal year that will reduce spending, grow our economy, and allow business to create jobs”.

The funding levels in H.J. Res 44 are consistent with the levels in HR 1, the long-term Continuing Resolution passed by the House on February 19, 2011.  Click here for Rep. Myrick’s statement regarding this vote.

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Below is a breakdown of the spending cuts in H.J. Res. 44.  This is NOT the same Continuing Resolution passed by the House two weeks ago, nor is this the budget for FY 2012.  This bill funds the federal government through March 18, 2011.

Program Cuts / Terminations - $1.25 billion

This CR terminates funding for eight programs:

• Election Assistance Grants = -$75 million. This termination was requested in the President’s budget request. The states have yet to spend large amounts of funding provided by this program, and both the House and Senate proposed eliminating the program last year.
• Broadband Direct Loan Subsidy (U.S. Department of Agriculture) = -$29 million. No funds were requested for this program in the President’s budget request. This program is duplicative of several other federal programs, and the Agriculture Inspector General has uncovered abuses and inconsistencies in the program as well as a lack of focus on the rural communities it is intended to serve. 
• Smithsonian Institution Legacy Fund = -$30 million. No funds were requested for this program in the President’s budget request. The Legacy Fund was intended as a one-time only appropriation for revitalization of the Smithsonian’s Arts and Industries Building. Sufficient private contributions were raised and the Legacy Fund monies were released in December, 2010.
• Striving Readers program (U.S. Department of Education) = -$250 million. This termination was requested in the President’s budget request. This program has a large amount of unused funds, and is essentially duplicative of the Title 1 program that provides $14 billion annually in reading assistance to at-risk students.
• LEAP program (U.S Department of Education) = -$64 million. This termination was requested in the President’s budget request. This program has accomplished its original objective of “stimulating” all states to establish need-based student grant programs, and federal aid is no longer required.
• Even Start (U.S. Department of Education) = -$66 million. This termination was requested in the President’s budget request. Three national evaluations have found that participants in this program make no greater literacy gains than non-participants. The Office of Management and Budget has identified this program as “ineffective.”
• Smaller Learning Communities (U.S. Department of Education) = -$88 million. This termination was requested in the President’s budget request. Both governmental and non-governmental research has shown no evidence that creating smaller learning communities within high schools makes a difference in academic achievement.
• Highways – Additional General Fund spending (Federal Highways Administration) = -$650 million. No funds were requested for this use in the President’s budget request. This one-time, non-recurring funding addition was provided in fiscal year 2010 and distributed to all States through the existing, authorized highway formula.  Removing these funds will have no impact on the authorized, mandatory side of the highway program and its limitation of obligations. 

Earmark Terminations - $2.76 billion

This CR eliminates funding that was made available in fiscal year 2010 that would have gone to earmarked programs and projects:

·         Energy and Water = -$993.3 million

·         Homeland Security = -$265 million

·         Labor, HHS, Education = -$994 million

·         Legislative Branch = -$0.2 million

·         Transportation, Housing and Urban Development = -$513 million