Latest news with #budgetcut
CTV News
2 days ago
- Business
- CTV News
Quebec school officials alarmed by $570M budget cut
Education officials in the province were left reeling by the $570-million budget cut announced last week by the CAQ government. This comes on top of a $200 million cut announced in December. Joe Ortona, the president of the Quebec English School Board Association, called the decision 'shameful' and said the impact on services would be devastating. 'Nobody knows where to cut, because all of these services are essential. In the end, some are going to have to make choices between serving breakfast meals and having tutors for kids who are failing classes,' Ortona told CTV News. 'I don't think anybody here is in a good situation, even in the French sector, they're not speaking out publicly, but privately, they're saying this is impossible. In some boards, they're being asked to cut almost $100 million — it is absolutely impossible what this government is asking to do without affecting services to kids.' Education Minister Bernard Drainville is asking English school boards and French-language service centres to cut $510.8 million from the 2025-2026 fiscal year, and an additional $56.9 million from the private schools – for a total of $567.7 million. Judith Kelley, Chair of the Council of Commissioners at the Lester B. Pearson School Board, said schools are scrambling because budget allocations have already been approved. She said her school board is looking at a $32 million cut from its $400 million budget, but there is no flexibility on things like staff pay. 'We have to start looking at difficult decisions,' she said. 'The minister will say 'You won't need to cut in classrooms, you won't need to do anything that will affect students,' but yes students will be affected.' For example, special education, sports, and arts programs may be affected. 'I just don't think we can do what we're being asked to do,' said Kelley. During a scrum on Wednesday, Drainville argued that since 2018, the education budget has grown by seven per cent each year. He added that while this year's increase is just five per cent, the overall budget is still rising by $1 billion. 'What I told the service centres [and school board] is that they need to manage their existing funds more effectively: to be more efficient, to respect the budget without cutting services for students or at the very least to keep it to a minimum,' Drainville explained, adding that a seven per cent increase is unsustainable. 'I acknowledge that it will take a lot of work. I am asking for everyone to make an effort. There will be difficult decision to be made. But after a 58 per cent increase of the education budget, I think the time has come to consolidate and make better use of the funding that has been allocated.' Ortona rejected Drainville's claim that school boards and service centres simply need to manage their funding better, pointing to the SAAQclic and Northvolt scandals as examples of government mismanagement. 'Essentially, they're asking children to sacrifice their education and their future and their success for the mistakes of this government, I just think that that's indecent on their part. They should be ashamed that that's where they're resorting to,' Ortona said. 'They have adopted an education model now that absolutely allows them to get away with doing these kinds of things, because nobody in the French system is able to speak out. They have no elected officials that represent them. Everybody is accountable to and answers to the Ministry of Education and the government of Quebec.' When asked about the salary increases in collective agreements signed over the last few months, Ortona said he expected teaching and support staff positions to be cut. 'The government is washing their hands of it. All they're saying is, 'Well, if you face grievances because you've abolished positions that you've promised to the unions, that's your responsibility, and you're going to have to deal with that.' Again, a complete mismanagement of education,' he said. The president said that boards and associations would be working through the summer, crushing numbers and trying to make everything fit. In recent days, several service centres have also decried the new round of budget cuts.
The Guardian
4 days ago
- Business
- The Guardian
Labour cutting farming budget in England by £100m a year, figures shows
Labour is cutting the farming budget in England by £100m a year, spending review figures show. Despite the decrease, the budget has been cautiously welcomed by nature and farming groups, as there were fears the Treasury had wanted to reduce the funding further. Farmers have felt squeezed by the Labour government's policies over recent months, with mass protests over the introduction of inheritance tax on farms worth more than £1m. Extreme weather and rising input prices have increased financial pressures on the sector, which has meant that a cut to the budget could have serious impacts. Ministers have also indicated that larger farms could be ineligible for the nature-friendly farming fund in future. The Department for Environment, Food & Rural Affairs was recently forced to U-turn on a freeze to new applicants for the fund after the National Farmers' Union (NFU) threatened legal action. Previous research by the RSPB has found that a £100m a year cut would lead to 239,000 fewer hectares (590,580 acres) of nature-friendly farmland. Defra said the funding paid to farmers under of environment land management schemes (Elms) would 'skyrocket' from £800m in 2023-24 to £2bn in 2028-29. However, the NFU has called this 'misleading' because after Brexit, farmers were promised that their subsidies would be the same as they were under the EU and were promised a figure of £2.4bn a year. The Elms programme was devised by the conservatives after Brexit: the goal was that rather than being paid per acre, farmers should be paid for improving nature. While the programme was being put in place,the acreage payments known as basic payments schemes (BPS) were kept, and cut each year as Elms increased. BPS is due to be phased out entirely by 2028. Farmers currently get the £2.4bn a year in the two streams as well as a smaller amount of money in grants for things such as robotics trials. Going forward, the government has promised an average of £2.3bn a year up to 2028-29 for the farming budget. By the end of the spending period the budget will shrink to £2.25bn, with £2bn allocated for Elms and the rest paid in productivity grants. Sanjay Dhanda, the NFU's senior economist, has said Defra has been 'misleading' in its claims. He said: 'A key pillar of Defra's budget is the continued investment in Elms, with funding set to rise to £2bn by 2028-29, compared with the £1.8bn earmarked in the Autumn 2024 budget. While the government has framed this as a significant uplift from the £800m spent in 2023-24, this comparison is misleading as Elms was not fully operational at that point, and delinked payments [BPS] absorbed a large share of funding.' However, Defra sources pointed out that although the previous government allocated £2.4bn a year for Elms, the Tories in fact underspent it by about £100m a year. That government had, however, promised that by the end of the spending period, which was cut short by the general election, the full fund was ringfenced and would be allocated to farmers. Tom Bradshaw, the NFU president, said: 'While the Defra secretary of state has listened and managed to maintain the overall funding for farming and nature recovery, from what we can see so far, the £100 million cut to farming means farmers and growers will need to do more with less.' Mark Spencer, a former farming minister who was in charge of issuing the farming budget, said the amount spent on Elms would have been higher than £2bn at the end of the spending period, under the Tories. 'The 2.4bn was meant for Elms. It was always our intention and emphasis to reduce BPS and pour the money into Elms and for the vast majority of it to go to Elms,' he said. Reacting to the cut, Spencer added: 'A part of me is angry, a part of me is just so sad. We made such huge progress and now it is in jeopardy.' Nature groups have credited Steve Reed, the environment secretary, for protecting the majority of the budget. Hilary McGrady, the director general of the National Trust, said the chancellor Rachel Reeves had maintained the budget for nature-friendly farming, adding: 'Steve Reed deserves credit for securing this budget in challenging financial circumstances.' A Defra spokesperson said: 'Contrary to media reports that the farming budget would be slashed by £1.2bn over the next three years, the government is investing a record £5.9bn into nature friendly farming schemes.'
Reuters
10-06-2025
- Business
- Reuters
Pakistan to cut overall spending but raise defence budget in 2025-26, source says
ISLAMABAD, June 10 (Reuters) - Pakistan's federal budget for fiscal year 2025-26 is expected to cut spending to 17.57 trillion rupees ($62.30 billion) from 18.9 trillion rupees in the previous year, a source said ahead of the announcement on Tuesday. But it is expected to raise defence spending to 2.55 trillion rupees ($9.04 billion) from 2.1 trillion rupees in the previous year, the source said, following a military conflict with old foe India last month. ($1 = 282.0000 Pakistani rupees)
Travel Weekly
09-06-2025
- Business
- Travel Weekly
Senate proposal to slash Brand USA's budget sparks industry concerns
The Senate Committee on Commerce, Science and Transportation proposed cutting Brand USA's budget from $100 million to $20 million as part of an effort to reduce deficits by more than $40 billion over a decade and "rescind more than $1.4 billion in wasteful spending." Sen. Ted Cruz (R-Texas), chairman of the committee, unveiled the legislative directives as part of the budget reconciliation bill process. Cruz said the revised budget's "provisions fulfill the mandate given to President Trump and congressional Republicans by the voters: to unleash America's full economic potential and keep her safe from enemies." The U.S. Travel Association said it is "deeply concerned" about the proposal, saying it would "significantly impact every sector of our industry." "U.S. Travel continues to advocate strongly to both the White House and Congress," the association said. "As the reconciliation process moves forward, Congress must align with the President's budget and fully fund Brand USA. With $2.9 trillion in economic output and over 15 million American jobs at stake, the travel industry cannot afford to be overlooked." The Travel Tech Association also issued a statement about the proposed cut, saying, "Congress must fully fund the Travel Promotion Fund and maintain strong support for Brand USA." "With the U.S. set to host the 2026 World Cup, America250 and the 2028 Olympics, the global spotlight is firmly on the U.S. travel industry," said Laura Chadwick, CEO of the Travel Technology Association. "The Senate's proposal to cut funding to the Travel Promotion Fund risks weakening America's tourism industry at this critical moment. Our members play a critical role in connecting travelers to local communities. We understand how tourism -- and Brand USA's work -- drives billions in spending in the U.S., supporting local jobs and businesses, and fueling economic growth in every state. We should not be pulling back, but leaning in. Congress must act to keep tourism strong for Americans and our national economy." Brand USA is funded by a portion of the Electronic System Travel Authorization fees that are collected from international travelers. The proposed cuts come a time when the U.S. is on track to welcome 5.1% fewer inbound international travelers this year, according to Tourism Economics, down from an initial projection of 8.8% growth. The World Travel & Tourism Council estimates the U.S. will lose $12.5 billion in international visitor spending in 2025. Adam Burke, CEO of Los Angeles Tourism, said that in the face of these concerning statistics, the industry needs to "really lean in to support Brand USA." "In advance of the World Cup and Olympics, this is an economic imperative," he said. "We've lost $100 million in terms of our service exports because of the downturn in tourism since the pandemic. And we desperately need to reclaim that share." "People need to understand what a significant driver" Brand USA has been, Burke said.
Skift
06-06-2025
- Science
- Skift
NASA Faces Steep Budget Cuts, One Space Meeting Has Already Been Scrapped
The White House has proposed the largest single-year budget cut to NASA in U.S. history. As a result, space science and exploration are taking a hit — and so are the cornerstone conferences that support these efforts. NASA is facing a proposed 24% budget cut. The financial uncertainty is already hitting the events sector. The International Space Station Research and Development Conference, planned for July in Seattle, has been canceled just two months out. 'The International Space Station National Laboratory, in close consultation with NASA, has determined that the current regulatory and budgetary environment does not support holding the International Space Station Research and Development Conference in 2025,' said the Center for the Advancement of Science in Space. The event, held annually for over a decade, spotlighted research aboard the station and offered updates on NASA's work. NASA Puts Lunar and Planetary Science Conference at Risk The uncertainty doesn't end there. NASA has announced it will no longer fund or seek partners for the 2026 Lunar and Planetary Science Conference, a fixture of the planetary science calendar. NASA still send staff and participate but expects outside organizations to cover all costs. The conference organizer says it intends to host the 57th event next year. Some doubt that will happen. 'The lead time it takes to find a venue, speakers, sponsors, and all that goes into it may prohibit a 2026 gathering from happening,' said Paul Byrne, a planetary scientist at Washington University in St. Louis, who hasn't missed a Lunar and Planetary Science Conference since first attending as a graduate student in 2007. 'This meeting is vital. It's the lifeblood of our community. Plus, it's an extremely important resource for early career scientists,' Byrne said.'This is the go-to meeting, and if it goes away it is an indicator of the crises we are facing.' These cancellations follow a broader trend. NASA's Science Mission Directorate has steadily pulled back support for community-led meetings and workshops.
