A DEIA win, Project 2025 author nominated for DOL chief lawyer, and $2.9 billion in grants listings.
Plus: All the jobs are gone, the House and Senate are a measly $329 billion apart, and this week's grants listings.
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The $329 billion gap between the House and Senate on workforce cuts.
On Wednesday, the Senate revealed its response to the House’s budget blueprint. It highlighted a contrast in styles between the two chambers.
The House blueprint: We must cut everything. Entitlements? Cut. Workforce? Cut. Our cutting knives? Tricky, but cut them too.
The Senate blueprint: So I hear you and respect that you want to cut things, but as a collegial body, we believe in a careful process. How about we cut a little bit now and then we come back later—possibly—and have big ol’ cut party—maybe.
As I have written quite a bit here, the House budget resolution said it would cut $330 billion in workforce and education funding over the next decade. The Senate’s plan is 1/330th of that, directing the Senate HELP Committee to find “not less” than $1 billion in savings on the deficit, as part of what looks like an effort to defer big cuts.
“Not less” is a key modifier as we head toward reconciliation, and as a lawyer proud of my math skills, I can confirm that $330 billion is “not less” than $1 billion. But the tone of House members’ responses thus far indicate that “not less” is much more than they’re willing to vote for at this stage.
I wouldn’t count on the Senate to bail out workforce, but as I wrote last week, that chamber appears the better focus right now for education and advocacy efforts.
More than 275,000 layoffs in March—216,000 from the federal government.
Kind of important to workforce development funding! You can check out the new layoff analysis from Challenger, Gray & Christmas here. It’s not good.
Again, defining ‘DEIA’ would be a good idea if you’re going to ban it.
Last week, a federal court told the Trump Administration to temporarily halt efforts to end spending on diversity and equity activities funded through Department of Labor grants. DOL’s attempts stem from Trump executive orders banning “DEIA.”
The complaint, filed by Chicago Women in Trades, noted that “[t]he anti-diversity EOs offer no explanation as to what types of programs to promote diversity, equity, and inclusion ‘violate any applicable Federal anti-discrimination laws.’” This is going to be a hard problem for the Administration to overcome in other cases built around these orders.
In a new anti-“DEIA” effort, the Education Department on Thursday ordered school districts to certify compliance with Title VI and the Supreme Court’s 2023 race-conscious admissions ruling. Notably, the announcement does not reference the “DEIA” orders.
This week’s grants listings number: $2.9 billion.
Big boost this week thanks to a big new workforce-adjacent grant (job-creating projects with workforce elements) from the Department of Transportation as well as new state and private grant opportunities.
Behind the paywall
The intrigue and potential impact of the Trump pick for DOL’s top lawyer.
Bad omens for Job Corps.
This week’s grants listings.