Good Morning MEEOA members, Jen Rudolph, Associate Vice President, State Policy for Council for Opportunity in Education, has asked me to reach out today with this urgent appeal. There is a very short turnaround on this. We are being asked to engage our members of Congress this summer! To quote Jen, “ We are facing unprecedented times, which calls for our collective action and the power of TRIO Advocacy. Thank you for the work you do, and in advance, for the effort you will put forth to ensure that TRIO funding remains steadfast.” [https://www.congressplus.com/userfiles/509/EMAIL%20BANNER%20-%20GOVT%20RELATIONS.png] June 21, 2023 As announced previously<https://t.congressweb.com/l/?WOUFMCMBGPXSKJQ>, the leadership of the House Appropriations Committee is moving ahead to mark up spending bills at FY22 levels--not the FY23 levels negotiated in the debt-limit deal between Speaker Kevin McCarthy and President Joe Biden. Because this represents a gap of $120 billion, we expect see a 30% cut to the Labor-HHS-Education bill responsible for funding TRIO. While such a bill would have a hard time getting passed into law - it would face strong opposition in the Senate - we must fight against any precedent that would suggest TRIO take such a significant funding cut. Our community must take action now! Next week, join COE Executive Vice President Kimberly Jones and the entire Public Policy team for any of the three webinars listed below, which will outline precisely what's at stake and what specific steps you can take to bring your legislator to your program. More than anything else, local visits with TRIO students and programs have turned TRIO skeptics into TRIO champions! Please use the links below to register for any of the following webinars. (You only need to participate in one webinar as all content will be the same. Registration is required.) Monday, June 26 at 3:00 p.m. (Eastern) https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZEscOGhqj8oH9SMDzM-0UE_LZ9fZXK99cze<https://t.congressweb.com/l/?WOUFMCMBGPQGKFK> Tuesday, June 27 at 10:30am (Eastern) https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZcof-yurD0sGdLYNzhRt1SMbPZ2gpWA0BbS<https://t.congressweb.com/l/?WOUFMCMBGPDPCYE> Tuesday, June 27 at 5:00 p.m. (Eastern) https://us02web.zoom.us/meeting/register/tZwudumsqz8tE9Z-C-ZQ9fX0JR_xoV-T2A7K<https://t.congressweb.com/l/?WOUFMCMBGPAGUUC> In the meantime, please find this Key District Outreach Packet<https://t.congressweb.com/l/?WOUFMCMBGPCTZPR>, which includes a congressional calendar with dates your House Representative will be back home, contact information for your Members of Congress and their staff, sample invitation letters and tips for how to conduct a local visit with your legislator. We look forward to speaking with you next week on June 26th or 27th. If you have any questions, please contact [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]> or [log in to unmask]<mailto:[log in to unmask]>. Sincerely, COE Public Policy Team Terry T. Charlton, M.Ed TRIO Student Support Services Director Maine Educational Opportunity Association (MEEOA) President Central Maine Community College 1250 Turner Street Auburn, Maine 04210 Tel: (207) 755-5238<https:[log in to unmask]> “ Access without support is not opportunity” – Vincent Tinto Website: Maine Educational Opportunity Association (meeoa.org)<https://www.meeoa.org/> [meeoa logo] Pronouns: She, her, hers