Legislative & Federal News for March 2, 2017

The Trump administration’s initial proposal of a $54 billion increase in defense spending with the same amount being cut from non-defense spending would alter spending rules established in 2013, which set a cap on discretionary spending across the federal government and affected defense and non-defense spending equally. Press reports have indicated congressional opposition to this approach with a key House appropriator commenting, "The president will propose, and the Congress will dispose.” While the Office of Management and Budget (OMB) has provided top-line numbers to individual agencies as it works in preparing the FY 2018 budget request, those figures have not been released publicly. The full FY 2018 budget proposal is expected in late spring with an outline to be released mid-March.

SSTI joined thousands of other groups in a letter to Congress urging adequate funding for non-defense discretionary programs by continuing the bipartisan practice of providing relief from sequestration budget cuts and opposing any new efforts to cut these programs more deeply. The letter can be found here.

Rep. David Cicilline (D-RI) provided testimony Monday to the House Appropriations Subcommittee on Commerce, Justice and Science in favor of continued funding for the Regional Innovation program, Manufacturing Extension Program, Manufacturing USA institutes and the Economic Development Administration.