Vo1。14,No。136 - Wednesday,July 16,1986 - Educators Await Gramm-Rudman Fallout - Higher Deficit Could Trigger 87 Cuts

Sep 28, 2026

Educators brace for potential education-funding cuts tied to enforcement of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings balanced budget law and passage of a fiscal 1987 education appropriations measure. After the Supreme Court ruling in Bowsher v. Synar, Congress faces complex decisions on applying deficit targets and whether fallback steps can avoid across-the-board cuts. Uncertainty persists as OMB forecasts a higher 1987 deficit, increasing pressure for spending reductions.

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CategoryExam

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Pages7

Reading Time18 min

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Educators await Gramm-Rudman fallout

Impact of Supreme Court ruling

Potential deficit-driven across-the-board cuts

Legislative options and planned amendments

Appropriations timing and program risks

Vo1。14,No。136 Wednesday,July 16,1986 EDUCATORS AWAIT GRAMM-RUDMAN FALLOUT;HIGHER DEFICIT COULD TRIGGER*87 CUTS As Congress grinds into motion after its Independence Day recess,educators aremarshaling action on two processes that could dramatically affect educationfunding:enforcement of the Gramm-Rudman-Hollings balanced budget law andpassage of a fiscal 1987 education appropriations measure. In the wake of the U.S.Supreme Court's ruling in Bowsher v.Synar(54 USLW3709),Congress faces a series of tough decisions on how to enforce fiscal 1986and 1987 deficit targets set by the balanced budget law.The decision removedmuch of the bang from the law's automatic budget-cutting trigger by ruling unconstitutional the comptroller general's role insetting the cuts in motion(HED,July 8)。 BUDGET- ’87 A debt ceiling bill that is expected to be amendedin an effort to sidestep the Court's objection cleared a Senate panel yesterday. But whether Congress successfully carries out a fallback procedure that re- quires them to vote on spending cuts to meet deficit targets or repairs Gramm- Rudman-Hollings to comply with the Court,the possibility of sidestepping across-the-board cuts in fiscal 1987 may be bleak,some observers say. "I don't think we'11 be that lucky,"said a House education staffer who pointedout that even if Congress enacts the spending bills and other legislationneeded to meet the $144 billlon fiscal 1987 deficit limit,a higher-than-ex-pected deficit could spring the deficit above the target and increase pressureto adopt across-the-board cuts. Abandoning earlier,more rosy forecasts,Office of Management and BudgetDirector James Miller predicted Monday that due to slower economic growth andlower inflation than Congress and the president had anticipated,the fiscal1987 deficit would top $154 billion,according to OMB spokesman Edwin Dale.That scenario would increase the deficit by more than the $10 billion "fudgefactor"by which Congress may exceed the Gramm-Rudman target. Education watchers breathed a collective sigh of relief when Congress lastmonth passed a fiscal 1987 budget resolution that fell below the $144 billiondeficit target set by Gramm-Rudman but contained enough funds to increaseeducation spending more than $2 bi1l1on over the current $17.7 billion level(HED,June 30)。But the uncertainties of the appropriations process and the8pectre of Gramm-Rudman cuts have put education advocates on the alert.(more) EDUCATORS AWAIT GRAMM-RUDMAN FALLOUT(Cont.) "What we need to focus on is making sure the budget resolution is translatedinto appropriations"to guard the"healthy increase in education"fundingCongress mandated,said Bruce Hunter,associate executive director and directorof governmental relations for the American Association of School Administra-tors."We want our $2 billion,we want every penny of it,we need it,andwe're going to hustle for it." Programs Could Be Cut Hunter noted that if the increases are not enactedInto law by the time the Congressional Budget Office and OMB make the deficitestimates that would determine the need for across-the-board cuts,educationprograms would have to be cut from their current levels.The House Education,Labor and Health and Human Services Appropriations Subcommittee marked up itsfiscal 1987.spending bil1 in a closed session last month,but no date has beenset yet for a full Appropriations Committee markup of the bil1.The measurewll1 move to the Senate after the House acts on it. Charles Saunders,vice president for governmental relations for the AmericanCouncil on Education,said higher education advocates are concentrating onseeing the Higher Education Act through reauthorization because higher educa-tion funding"got left out of"the House subcommittee's bil1 pending passage ofthe reauthorization bill."We're working on reauthorization so we can get intothe appropriations process,"he said. Some observers speculate that rather than attempting to enact more than a

FAQs

How does the Supreme Court ruling in Bowsher v. Synar affect enforcement of Gramm-Rudman?

The ruling removed the comptroller general’s role in setting the automatic budget-cutting trigger, leaving Congress to make tougher enforcement decisions for fiscal 1986 and 1987 deficit targets.

Why might educators face across-the-board cuts in fiscal 1987?

If Congress must vote on spending cuts to meet deficit targets—or cannot repair Gramm-Rudman to comply—across-the-board reductions could be difficult to avoid. Observers also warn that a higher-than-expected deficit would increase pressure.

What legislative strategy are some observers considering to avoid across-the-board cuts?

Observers speculate Congress may package multiple bills into a continuing resolution or an omnibus fiscal 1987 spending measure to improve the chances of presidential approval and avert across-the-board cuts.

Sep 28, 2026

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