Education & Labor Committee Republicans

WASHINGTON, D.C. | March 15, 2013 -
Dear Chairman Pearce and Acting General Counsel Solomon:

As you know, the Budget Control Act of 2011 required Congress to enact legislation to achieve deficit reduction levels of at least $1.2 trillion by January 15, 2012. Failure to enact legislation would trigger a sequestration order - automatic, across-the-board spending cuts - to achieve these budgetary deficit-reduction goals. These indiscriminate cuts affect defense and nondefense, discretionary and mandatory spending. The American Taxpayer Relief Act delayed these automatic budget reductions until March 1, 2013.

To avoid these indiscriminate cuts, the Republican-led U.S. House of Representatives approved two pieces of legislation to replace the sequester with targeted, smart reforms that put the nation on the path to balance the budget. The Senate did not consider either bill, and sequestration's across-the-board cuts went into effect as scheduled. As a result, the National Labor Relations Board (NLRB) must now confront a 5 percent budget reduction.

To read the full letter, click here.