Higher education funding was on the chopping block in Republican presidential nominee Mitt Romney’s days as Massachusetts governor.
Many experts and political pundits have speculated that Mitt Romney’s pledges to reduce the national deficit and his choice of a conservative running mate meant the presidential hopeful would slash education funding if elected.
But during last week’s debate, the former Massachusetts governor suggested otherwise.
“I’m not going to cut education funding,” he said.
That comment has left many skeptical as to how he’ll circumvent cuts in education while simultaneously slashing the budget in other areas — especially because his vice presidential pick, Rep. Paul Ryan (R-Wis.), has proposed budget plans that deal across-the-board cuts. And education isn’t an exception.
“The simple math suggests that it’s not going to be possible to wade deeply into the budget and find a way to balance it without making at least some cuts in almost anything,” said Don Kettl, the public policy school dean.
Even though both Romney and President Obama have pledged to protect education funding — and have even suggested increasing federal funding to schools — Kettl said it’ll be hard to keep those promises when it comes time to negotiate the budget; there’s a broad consensus in Congress that cuts are necessary to reign in an unsustainable growing deficit.
“Should a candidate start making promises that, ‘Well, I’m going to balance the budget in general but I’m going to protect you and I’m going to protect you,’ it’s highly likely that the candidate is going to get himself in trouble later on,” Kettl said. “It’s going to be very difficult for Romney or for Obama to do what they’re saying they’re going to do without some cuts somewhere.”
The Ryan budget plan calls for across-the-board 20 percent cuts to all discretionary spending, meaning the Department of Education’s budget would receive a $13 billion cut if Romney fully embraces his running mate’s austerity measures. By pledging to maintain full education funding, Romney may be suggesting he’ll look to other programs to reduce spending, said Michael McShane, a research fellow in education policy at the conservative think tank, American Enterprise Institute.
“In a budget that’s running a $1.3 trillion dollar deficit, $13 billion really isn’t that big of a deal,” McShane said. “There’s a chance that this is just kind of a political maneuver on his part to say ‘Look, we’ll give up $13 billion in education cuts and find them somewhere else.’ ”
The federal debt passed $16 trillion this year, growing by more than $5 trillion since Obama took office in 2009, when it was at $10.9 trillion, according to Department of the Treasury data.
Whether the White House sees a change in face this November or Obama secures another term, the president will have to make difficult decisions that would inevitably deal a blow to education. However, finance professor Elinda Kiss said she thinks education is more likely to face the federal ax if Romney becomes president, given that he doesn’t draw the same support from the younger demographic as Obama, and he has been clear on his intent to decrease federal spending.
“First of all, look at who are your supporters,” Kiss said. “If he does not raise the deficit, then he has got to find ways to cut spending.”
Romney’s rhetoric hasn’t suggested devastating reductions in federal education support, McShane said; instead, he wouldn’t allow the government to provide states with additional money should they face education spending shortfalls if the economy falters. While Obama’s 2009 stimulus bill ratcheted up this state funding, Romney likely wouldn’t pursue the same policy.
“I don’t think the political will exists for there to be another stimulus,” McShane said.
But the anxiety stems from the absence of the safeguard should states be forced to cut their education budgets, McShane said.
“I think that’s more of the fear is that he’s not going to bail states out in the same way that President Obama did,” McShane said.
