FACS, art, agriculture, or shopping courses may be considered unnecessary and fun electives in high school, but these courses are important for developing students' skills for the future. Every student has the opportunity to choose which courses they take in high school, but essential Career and Technical Education (CTE) courses are being cut, depriving students of the skills they will need when they graduate. Federal funding from the Carl D. Perkins Act should be increased to meet the demand and need for secondary and postsecondary CTE. We'll first learn about the obstacles Congress and the president faced in crafting a balanced budget for fiscal year 2014, and then we'll learn about a solution to the Perkins funding shortfall. At the federal level, the Carl D. Perkins Act receives less funding, which hurts the situation. students and workers benefited from CTE. Federal funding has seen numerous disruptions due to conflicts within Congress, and the effects are harming CTE. In recent years, between fiscal years 2011 and 2013, more than $195 million has been cut from Perkins funding that keeps secondary and postsecondary CTE programs afloat (2). The budget cuts are the result of Congress and Obama's attempt to "reduce our deficit by more than $2.5 trillion through a combination of spending cuts and increased tax rates" (5). The “sequester,” automatic $1 trillion across the board budget cuts, implemented in March 2013 after lawmakers failed to agree on a plan to reduce the deficit of our country (5). Job opportunities over the next decade will require a skilled workforce, but reducing CTE only limits the ability to meet these demands. Cutting Perkins - the primary source of CTE funding - will prove detrimental to our economy and future workforce, as Perkins finds itself in the middle of paper......finding that the cuts "hurt our economy, slow our recovery, [and] put people out of work,” an increase in Perkins funding would be supported and adopted (5). advanced and health care” would be supported and expanded by CTE, ultimately strengthening our workforce and economy (3). prepared, but faced setbacks due to federal funding A surge in understanding and support for the Perkins Act would make CTE more easily accessible to students across the country Federal funding for the Carl D. Perkins Act should. be increased to meet the demand and need for secondary and postsecondary CTE. While some of these fun high school electives may fit into your schedule due to extra space, these are the classes that best prepare us for our future..