House GOP Proposes $75 Million LSC Cut for FY 2011

The House Appropriations Committee released a partial list of its proposed federal funding cuts for the remainder of the 2011 fiscal year, including a $75 million cut to LSC. The list contains cuts to 70 programs including a .8 percent cut to the FBI, 2 percent cuts to the US Marshalls Service and the National Science Foundation, 16 percent to National Oceanic and Atmospheric Administration, and 20 percent to the National Institute of Standards and Technology.

The $75 million recommended cut is not taken from the current LSC funding level of $420 million, but is subtracted from the President's Budget Request for 2011 for LSC, which was $435 million. So, the total LSC funding for FY 2011 would be $360 million. This represents a 17 percent cut from the President's budget request and a 14 percent cut from the current FY 2011 funding level. However, because we are facing these cuts at mid-year, rather than at the beginning of the fiscal year, the immediate impact on LSC grantees will be significantly larger than if the cuts were spread out over the whole grant year. While the actual numbers will not be determined until later in the week, the effective cut would be closer to 28 percent for the remainder of the year.

We will keep you apprised of developments as we learn of them.