Federal Agenda 2019 HUNTSVILLE/MADISON COUNTY CHAMBER, ALABAMA
TO THE MEMBERS OF THE ALABAMA CONGRESSIONAL DELEGATION AND THEIR STAFF: We are grateful to the members of the Alabama Congressional delegation for their leadership on the issues critical to the Huntsville/Madison County region, especially those impacting our Nation’s defense and space policies. With our delegation’s support, our region continues to prosper as a science and technology powerhouse. Our Federally focused business community functions best with predictable and dependable funding for federal programs. The two-year spending agreement that Congress enacted to counter the Budget Control Act expires in 2020, and without additional congressional action, the caps will revert to their prior lower levels for the final two years they are in place – FY2020 and FY2021. If the budget caps are not rescinded for fiscal 2020-21, the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) has estimated Pentagon allocation could fall by $90B in 2020 and a further $89B in 2021. The combination of sequestration and unpredictable funding timelines has created significant challenges for industry planning: New contracts cannot move forward, and costs and schedules are, in turn, driven up and out. Small businesses are particularly at risk when delays deprive them of necessary revenue to maintain operations. We request that our members vigorously support efforts to eliminate sequestration, and continue with efforts to pass appropriations bills in a timely manner, thus avoiding the implementation of a continuing resolution. We ask that Congress support the Administration’s stated objective of a $750B top line for Defense spending, and continue its efforts to increase, across the board, overall funding for science and technology, and advanced research and development programs. We ask that Congress support full funding for our nation’s space exploration programs. We believe that implementing a responsible and transparent method of Congressionally directed appropriations, or earmarks, would restore the Constitutional “power of the purse,” bring more lawmakers to the negotiating table, and make federal spending more responsive to the taxpayers’ needs. Care should be exercised to ensure that the synergies of the existing weapons systems development science and technology infrastructure, capabilities, and resources resident at Redstone Arsenal are fully utilized by the Army’s Futures Command. Huntsville/Madison County has prided itself with its proactive approach to infrastructure development. Average local commute times are a fraction of those in Washington, D.C., and other peer cities. Continued burgeoning economic expansion, however, will soon challenge our existing infrastructure’s capacity and our ability to accommodate further growth. Investments now in key infrastructure including new and improved roads, upgraded air service and airport facilities, and workforce development will be critical. As the Congress prepares to consider legislation to address our national infrastructure needs, the Huntsville region has shovel-ready, worker-ready, high priority projects. Serious cyber engineering and security vulnerabilities are a prevalent and growing threat to our national security today. Cyber risks can undermine the quality and reliability of vital equipment and processes upon which this nation relies for national security dominance and daily services. Cyber engineering should become a vital part of the system engineering development enterprise. The convergence of Federal, State, local governments, and industry located in Huntsville make it an ideal place to lead this systemic cyber engineering effort and to develop cyber defense solutions, and workforce development and training. The highly skilled and educated workforce of Huntsville/Madison County is one of the most important factors in our continued growth across industry sectors, from engineering to manufacturing. We must effectively compete in key skill sets on a national level for talent that is in short supply. Federal support is critical to improve education and career pathways to ensure we have the future workforce to support the work of Redstone Arsenal and the regional economy. Another factor contributing to critical worker shortages are the long delays obtaining security clearances for new hires. This Agenda summarizes the most critical federal issues facing our region. Additional information regarding these issues and a number of other important federal programs and issues that have significant local and national impact is included in an accompanying 2019 Federal Issues Book.
THANK YOU FROM THE HUNTSVILLE/MADISON COUNTY CHAMBER