How sequester cuts could affect you and the country
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WASHINGTON (AP) - Government agencies are already taking steps to comply with automatic spending cuts scheduled to take effect Friday.
Defense Department
One of the Navy's premiere warships, the aircraft carrier USS Harry S. Truman, sits pier-side in Norfolk, Va., its tour of duty delayed.
The carrier and its 5,000-person crew were to leave for the Persian Gulf on Feb. 8, along with the guided-missile cruiser USS Gettysburg.
Department of Homeland Security
Hundreds of illegal immigrants have been freed from jail across the country.
Immigration and Customs Enforcement officials say they had reviewed several hundred cases of immigrants and decided to put them on an "appropriate, more cost-effective form of supervised release" in a moved started Tuesday.
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Other impacts that are in the offing:
Veteran funerals
Veterans' funerals at Arlington National Cemetery could be cut to 24 a day from 31, meaning delays in burials for troops from past wars. Troops killed in action in Afghanistan will be the priority — they are usually laid to rest within two weeks, Army spokesman George Wright said.
But overall funerals would be reduced by about 160 a month because of furloughs among civilian employees who work with families to schedule services as well as furloughs among crews that dig the graves and do other grounds work.
Food and Drug Administration
There could be an estimated 2,100 fewer food safety inspections and increased risks to consumers because of the cuts and the fact that a lack of a new 2013 budget means the Food and Drug Administration is held to last year's spending level.
Food and Drug Administration Commissioner Margaret Hamburg says most of the effects wouldn't be felt for a while and the agency won't have to furlough workers.
The economy
President Barack Obama says the sequester will cause a "tumble downward" for the economy. He acknowledges many people may not immediately notice the full impact of the so-called sequester cuts if they take effect Friday. But he says yanking $85 billion from the economy this year would be a "big hit" on a nation still trying to fully recover from a recession.
Congressional trips
Congressional trips overseas likely will take a hit. House Speaker John Boehner told Republican members in a closed-door meeting that he's suspending the use of military aircraft for official trips by House members. Lawmakers typically travel on military planes for fact-finding trips to Afghanistan or Pakistan, or other congressional excursions to foreign locales.
Military Intelligence
Pentagon investments in countering cyber threats and nuclear proliferation will be at risk, says Michael Vickers, the undersecretary of defense for intelligence. And the head of the Defense Intelligence Agency, Lt. Gen. Michael Flynn, says the agency could be hit hard because it depends heavily on military and civilian personnel to accomplish its mission.
U.S. Coast Guard
Coast Guard rescue aircraft will fly fewer hours and cutters will patrol the seas for fewer hours, says the service's Commandant Adm. Robert J. Papp.
Emergencies will be a priority and interdictions of illegal immigrants, drugs and illegal fishing could decline.
Health Care
Hospitals, doctors and other Medicare providers will see a 2 percent cut in government reimbursements because once cutbacks take effect, Medicare will reimburse them at 98 cents on the dollar.
But they aren't complaining because the pain could be a lot worse if President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans actually did reach a sweeping agreement to reduce federal deficits.
Automatic cuts taking effect Friday would reduce Medicare spending by about $100 billion over a decade. But Obama had put on the table $400 billion in health care cuts, mainly from Medicare. And Republicans wanted more.
Transportation Department
The nation's busiest airports could be forced to close some of their runways, causing widespread flight delays and cancellations.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood predicts flights to cities like New York, Chicago and San Francisco could have delays of up to 90 minutes during peak hours because fewer controllers will be on duty.
Though the spending cuts are scheduled to go into effect on Friday, furloughs of controllers won't kick in until April because the Federal Aviation Administration is required by law to give its employees advance notice.
In addition to furloughs, the FAA is planning to eliminate midnight shifts for air traffic controllers at 60 airport towers, close over 100 control towers at smaller airports and reduce preventative maintenance of equipment.
Federal workers
More than half of the nation's 2.1 million government workers may be required to take furloughs if agencies are forced to trim budgets.
At the Pentagon alone that could mean 800,000 civilian workers would be off for 22 days each, spread across more than five months — and lose 20 percent of their pay over that period.
Other federal agencies are likely to furlough several hundred thousand more workers.
Education
Some 70,000 students currently enrolled in pre-kindergarten Head Start would be cut from the program and 14,000 teachers would lose their jobs.
For students with special needs, the cuts would eliminate some 7,200 teachers and aides.
Up to 29 million student loan borrowers and some lenders may have to lay off staff or even close; some of the 15 million college students who receive grants or work-study assignments at some 6,000 colleges would also see changes.
National parks
Visiting hours at all 398 national parks are likely to be cut and sensitive areas would be blocked off to the public. Thousands of seasonal workers looking for jobs would not be hired, according to Interior Secretary Ken Salazar.
Salazar and National Park Service director Jon Jarvis said visitors would encounter fewer rangers, locked restrooms and trashcans emptied less frequently.
Copyright 2013 The Associated Press.
It's all a lie.  John Kerry JUST GAVE A QUARTER OF A BILLION DOLLARS TO EGYPT:
CAIRO (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday rewarded Egypt for President Mohammed Morsi's pledges of political and economic reforms by releasing $250 million in American aid to support the country's "future as a democracy."
The thing about the deficit that gets me is that when the Republicons had more power than they do today, they were more than willing to spend - and they still are. They love spending as long as that spending is on things they like the most - like wars and the war machine.
If the US were your household and it took you several years to get into debt, would you expect to get our of debt in a few months? Would you stop paying the mortgage and utilities while you had money in the bank?
We should not lose sight of the fact that we had a balanced budget under Clinton and it was Bush and the Replublicon policies that have taken us to the point we are now. Had we maintained the same level of taxation and used the excess to pay out debt down, we would be better off from a debt to income ratio. It's not that complex....Oh and there's the question of judgement of starting not one but two wars and not putting those into the budget. One of the two wars can be justified from the standpoint of 9/11. The other war, we were lied to by president Bush and his cronies. While the 'Cons were in the White House the wars were financed with special appropriations as opposed to being part of the budget. Never forget that it was Cheney who said 'deficits don't matter'. He was wrong.Â
The 'Cons need to compromise for the sake of the country. The 'money in the bank' is the tax rates we had before Bush combined with less unemployment.
The problem is the Cons cannot have it both ways. If the budget deficits are important now, they were important then. This problem needs to be managed and not on the backs of those who can afford it the least. Let's use common sense and set long-term goals to fix these problems.
@jbloeCAIRO (AP) -- U.S. Secretary of State John Kerry on Sunday rewarded Egypt for President Mohammed Morsi's pledges of political and economic reforms by releasing $250 million in American aid to support the country's "future as a democracy."
There goes our famous Rose Festival Airshow and other events such as Navy ships. That's sad.
@Sunny It will all be over by the time for the Airshow!
Number one: We are talking about a smaller spending increase, which is like me ordering a double cheese whopper and hold the pickle because I'm trying to lose weight. Stop propagating a government lie. Number two: When they end their illegal wars of occupation and their evil drug war, I'll know that they are serious about cutting spending. Until then, they may as well close the Washington Monument again.
Surprisngly, one thing no one every talks about, congress keeps talking about reducing our defict and cutting spending. Why is it then that all of these congressmen keep adding pork to every single bill. Seriously? Cut the pork and how much will that alone save tax payers? How much will that reduce the deficit? Also, If congress wasn't paid for their entire lives after serving but just a few measily worthless few years (or however long we keep voting them back to represent us) where they just sit around doing nothing but bickering and not producing any results, how much would that also save us? Don't hear any of them proposing these two things as options. Wonder what our Oregon Reps would like to say about these options?
So basically 600 idiots that the country elected can't agree on anything . Now the press thinks its a big deal. So have a good nights sleep and the country will be just fine in the morning.
One thing that could mitigate the impact would be to allow transfer of funds from one account to another. For instance, the Navy could probably find the money to deploy the Truman if the Navy were allowed to transfer funds into their Operations and Maintenance account from a Supply account.
It is amazing how it is always the vital programs that suffer but the President, Vice-President and both houses of congress never seem to have a problem with their services.
Quick! Send the Surgeon General to check Barry & Mooch L's hormone levels! Â (Hor's always mone when not paid)!
We will see very few changes that count. Â Quit believing the all mighty snake oil salesman, obama, and just continue doing what you would normally do. Â The only people who are concerned are the deadbeats who got his highness elected. Â They may lose their handouts promised to them by obama. Â I hope so. Â It is the best thing that can happen to this country. Â Time to start taking care of those who are willing to work and contribute, Â instead of those who won't. Â Â
To put it into terms the common man can understand.....the sky is falling because we can't afford to cut $240 out of the $10,000 we want to spend.....OH THE HUGEMANATEE....THE HUGEMANATEE!
In order to meet the budget, will the TSAÂ be giving pink slips
to the the less experienced sexual molesters?
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@B Smizzle @Mipsfer Yet you get a J. Reno lookalike anyway!
@Ramona @B Smizzle @Mipsfer You should have seen the TSA troll that molested my best friends wife at the Salt Lake City airport....literally, 4 foot nothing, mustach, troll lady molesting my friends wife for 10 minutes!  I totally tease her about it all the time, how she totally liked it and I found it fascinatingly hot....LOL I am a jerk sometimes!
That said......Come on, middle aged mom headed home from a ski trip to see her son after passing an X-ray scan IS a security threat but Haji get's a free pass? Â Just sayin'
Is this the only job in the world where you wait til the last minute, don't do it, and still get to keep your job and get paid?
Senate republicans yesterday offered up a bill that would remove the "across the board" restrictions that the President called a "meat cleaver" and instead offered him the flexibility he said was needed in order to make the cuts. His response was to threaten to veto any such bill because he instead supported a democrat proposal that - you guessed it - raised taxes and spread out cuts over the next 10 years. NOW do you understand why you can't make a deal with this man? Every time to agree to what he wants he moves the goal posts and says he either wants something totally different or he just wants more and more
@shadowwalker "NOW do you understand why you can't make a deal with this man? Every time to agree to what he wants he moves the goal posts and says he either wants something totally different or he just wants more and more"
Just like he's doing to Iran! Â Funny, the same exact play from the same exact play book, yet in Iran's instance democrats and republicans fall for it hook, line and sinker! Â Booga....BOOGA....the sky is falling, the sky is falling!
HA ! so you say the republicon house , lead by boner, is doing their job by cede THEIR constitutional duties to bring a spending bill up that will pass muster with the senate and prez ???
Interesting that you laud republicon party for not doing THEIR job !
@sargerator They are d o in  their job joust fine.  So is Obama.  He is trrying to spend all of our money for the 21st century in two terms and turn over a raped state to his successors.  Someone has to do the job of stopping this insane dick tator.
@shadowwalker BS The republicons tried to put this on the pres. instead of doing their job. If you want the services of the government then you need to pay for it. Raise taxes, remove loop holes. If you want to cut something cut the military. Everybody knows that the USAF is the most powerful airforce in the world. Do you know who is number two? The US Navy. We spend more than the next ten defence budgets combined. Why do we have bases in Germany? I'm pretty sure that WWII is over. I'm also sure that the USSR no longer exists. And we pay Germany for the base. They sould be paying us to be there not the other way around.
@hokeywolf @shadowwalker No, actually if we want to cut something cut all the tax credits and do an across the board flat income tax.  That way people won't be able to pay $0 federal income tax AND get money back!  Lets start there, also I say cut Pentagon spending until they can account for the $2.3 trillion dollars they "lost" and was announce by Donald Rumsfeld on what day.....anyone.....anyone?  Sept. 10th, 2001!
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=xU4GdHLUHwUÂ
My heart bleeds for the largest, most expensive government in all of human history...
I don't get any WELFARE or GOVERNMENT BENEFITS (ABSOLUTELY NONE) so what ever they cut I WON'T FEEL IT!
So showing an aircraft carrier, one of ten in commision along with 2 more being built and 1 on the drawing board, that costs about 1.5 million a day to operate is going to prove what about this story ! They could have shown 1 of the 71 USN nuclear power submarines with 3 under construction, the newest subs cost about 1.5 million a year also. Â
Jeeze I wonder where we can make cuts to fix our budget
It's all Obama's fault!!!!!
@Freedom1267 .....what?? ...not George Bush?
@Rob C 503Naw....Just Obama's.
The sky is falling. The sky is falling.
@Rob C 503 How much is that going to cost FEMA to clean up?
@August100 @Rob C 503 It depends....are we going to need to by trailers for everyone.... trailers that are so toxic that we have to buy them, not use them, then get rid of them? Â
http://www.youtube.com/watch?v=ytCwV9zS4dY
@August100 .....good one! You're assuming they show up ! LOL
" Some 70,000 students currently enrolled in pre-kindergarten Head Start would be cut from the program and 14,000 teachers would lose their jobs"
That's up to the government. OR, they could decommission just a few of our nuclear missiles, or stop giving Egyptians tanks and fighters while we're funding Israel too. Air Force One costs something like a million dollars per day to operate. Put him on an unmarked 737 and nobody will know the difference but his pilots and his butlers.
It's abundantly clear that they're going to use Head Start as a hostage, because it's an effective non-profit, non-union organization which needs a little bit of an overhaul but is a fantastic thing: It teaches young poor kids how to read and write English so that when they get into First Grade public schools, they're caught up. But it's not just a school or day care; the program also assists the parents in polishing their skills so that they can GO GET A JOB.
The alternative is to cut Head Start and force one parent--or THE parent--to stay home with the kid collecting welfare or whatever instead of GETTING A JOB which what most of them are trying to do. Ironically, as soon as they do, they're kids are pretty much ineligible for Head Start so then the parent has to pay more for child care.
Welcome to the jungle, baby.
The only reason Head Start is threatened is because the government wants to kill a hostage and blame the other party.
@Playanekes Studies are showing that a kid that went through "Head Start" could not be distinguished  from a 3rd grader that had no "Head Start"... My parents had the job of getting me ready for first grade. I could read, and write on a 4th grade level when I went into first grade. All of that because my parents spent some time with us kids.
If you are going to warehouse children, and call it "Head Start" then you are just producing generations of nonproductive takers.
I don't think they can cut fast, or far enough to save our country now.
Once again, more proof that we are not the greatest country in the world anymore. Â
I don't understand the blame game. It's the Republicans, it's the Democrats, it's Obama, it's.... We wouldn't be here if the House AND Senate hadn't voted on it, and we wouldn't be here if the President hadn't signed it.
Here we are, in the now. Focus on that and the future, because looking in the rear view mirror leaves a distorted image of how we got here, and it doesn't help us move forward.
I agree, all sides of the fence have guided us to this point, it's time to either fix the problem, or let the band-aid on the problem come off, and watch the problem unravel.
@pdxd Let it bleed.
Good job republicans, destroy the economy further than what GW Bush Jr did.
@RandyH .........geesh, I wish some of you would get ADD. Maybe then you could stop bringing up Bush in every friggin discussion. When does Obamas stand on his own two feet and own up for today and not blame history.
Ya, forget history, forget a bumbbling prez that allowed the world trade centers to be attacked and destroyed and 3000 plus citizens killed, Forget a hand puppet to the wealthy prez that gave the largest tax breaks ever to the uber wealthy at a 50% reduction WHILE starting 2 unfunded off budget wars. Forget about a bafoon prez that dropped his draws to the financial crooks and got us into this economic mess...ya , as die hard republicon fools would beg...please don't mention the village idiot...please !
@sargerator You would be talking about Bill Clinton there  sarge. He let Bin Ladin get away in Yemen in 1999. He was the bumbler, but I'm sure you don't see it that way with your rose colored blinders on.
@RandyHÂ You dems are hopeless, now into Odummer's SECOND term, you still can't accept that the left now OWNS this economy.
@NotAChance @RandyH Explain to me how it's the AVERAGE BROKE citizens fault for such a mess?  Quit with the partisan garbage.  It's not a person's personal political beliefs that are the problem.....
The only people who OWN the economy are those with far more wealth than any of us will see in our lifetimes.
WAGE DISPARITY is the real problem with the United States
@Silver Surfer @NotAChance @RandyH
"Quit with the partisan garbage. Â It's not a person's personal political beliefs that are the problem....."
Oh, but I disagree. That is exactly the problem. The government is a reflection of all of us. The current division in government mirrors the division in society.
Wage disparity?Â
I just spent 4 1/2 years following the whole Washington Mutual saga. I am very aware of the corruption in our judiciary. our financial markets, and our political system.  To say the least, it was sickening. Wall Street was bailed out by both Bush and Obama, and between them, nothing has changed. And various entities took advantage of the situation.
But...that doesn't mean there isn't a real, and now hardening division in the American people, over serious issues. Â And I don't have the time, nor patience anymore, to write my thoughts here. And I don't think you would want me to post 1,000,000 links to back up my position, would you?
Or even need to?
The silly thing about this is that a majority of the people wants to keep the services they get from the government. And people want to balance the budget. That means raising more money. It doesn't matter if it is through rasing taxes or closing loop holes or both. It has to be done. The republicons want a free ride! Yes I said it. The republicons are the takers in the country. Most of the republicon controled states take in more money from the federal government they pay out. WA, OR, CA all pay more to the fed then they get back. But most of the midwest and all of the south, except FL get more money then they pay in. This whole mess was created by the republicons.
@hokeywolf Do you even know how this government works.....Of course I say this to a person that uses a cartoon character as his Avatar.....akin to writing your posts in crayon!
Wake up....BOTH parties are to blame!
@B Smizzle @hokeywolf Too bad there isn't a crayon font. Then it would be easier for the republicons to read. I can draw some pictures and inset them so you can understand things better.
Yes I know how this government works. and so far every crisis has been caused/manufactured by the republicons. Maybe if you would try getting information from someplace other than the tea bagger propaganda channel you might learn something. like just how much the republicons have been lying.
@hokeywolf Cut it more. I'm not a Republican, so, how are you going to blame them?
Cut deeper. The next sequester should come right out of Washington DC. We don't need TSA, we don't need to pay for agents to meticulously examine the wreckage of a small aircraft for months just to report whatever conclusion they're going to come to anyway, which is that the pilot wasn't qualified or didn't check the weather... Â
Cut deeper. The Constitution protects the President's $450,000 salary, but not his pension.
In August, Obama authorized $750,000,000 to the Navy to build a new type of drone, and similar amount to help the Air Force build a missile loading system for the Joint Strike Fighter. Why not do what the Navy does, which is get a bunch of dudes to lift the missile off the rack and hang it on the plane? And since Obama just authorized building a drone base in Africa, why don't we just use Air Force drones?
Don't blame JUST the Republicans, (or Obama) for this. That's stupid.Â
@Playanekes @hokeywolf Actually you want to cut the budget AND raise money? Why do we have military bases in other countrys? If they want us there then they should PAY US to be there. Not the other way around. If we are going to be the police force for the free world then we should be paid for it.
@hokeywolf @Playanekes Owebama can't cut military personnel right now, putting soldiers out of work will add points to the unemployment numbers and he has no interest in that.Â
@hokeywolf Unfounded garbage spewed by someone who is not educated on the subject.  Find another avenue for your hate of Republicans and those who live in southern states. You only look foolish in the end.
@Silver Surfer @hokeywolf I admitt I hate republicons. I used to be one but the party became perverted. They say there is nothing worse than a reformed something. Well I'm a reformed republicon and yes I hate them.
"flame you" ??? WHAT ?, now in all fairness, you got on my spelling and improper  capitolizing.....fauxe, that wasn't one of them, just had to throw it in !Â
@hokeywolf @Silver Surfer That's interesting, Hokey. I was raised by old-world Republicans who shook JFK's hand personally and told him Hell No they weren't going to vote for him. They were -real- conservatives. I feel the same way as you.
I'm independent, always have been. Don't understand why people are blaming JUST the Republicans for this. Not going to flame you for your answer, I'd just like to know.
@hokeywolf ANOTHER liberal myth.
You ever consider red states contribute far more than blue states in comparison to their liabilities, and thus receive more back from the Fed than the blue states?
The 9 major US cities with the most underfunded pensions are nearly all in Blue states. Â 7 are Blue, 2 purple, but none are in Red States.
Standard and Poorâs credit ratings for the 50 states put California and Illinois on the very bottom of their list. Â There were plenty of credit rating downgrades. Â But only 6 upgrades. Three of those six upgrades were Idaho, Wyoming, and Nebraska. Â These states are the #2, #3, and #4 reddest states in America. Â Oregon was the only non-red state to get an upgrade.
Almost all of the nine cities with the most underfunded pensions have been utterly dominated by the Democrat mayors for decades.Â
The top 7 states with the biggest debt burdens are solidly blue.
Rhode Island, Connecticut, Massachusetts, Illinois, Hawaii, New Jersey, and New Hampshire.
The top 6 states with the least debt are all red states.Nebraska, Georgia, Texas, North Carolina, North Dakota, and Tennessee.
So, you tell me, who wants the free ride?
This is so fun !!! You know, if you actually posted links AND they backed your claims you'd be more beleivable !
OF the states that get the most money back 9 of 10 are "red" states of those "red" states much of THAT money goes to...get this...PENSION funds....so much for the "blue" states have pension problems hey ? Oh I supplied a link too !
http://www.slate.com/blogs/the_reckoning/2012/10/25/blue_state_red_face_guess_who_benefits_more_from_your_taxes.html
@sargerator Two problems with your argument. "Red States" aren't getting the money, retirees who moved to red states for their retirement are the benefactors. You know, the retirees all moving to Florida, Arizona, etc. So, they PAY INTO THE SYSTEM their whole lives and are now getting the pensions they deserve and this is somehow a "greedy red state" problem?Â
Also, if you look at a map, county by county, and where federal aid is going, it is going almost exclusively into the blue counties of red states, the federal spending is still being gobbled up by "blue," even though they happen to be in a state of "red"Â
HA ! so far you got texass wrong, I'll get on the other red states and come back to correct more of your claims !
At $617.6 billion, California had by far the biggest total debt, more than twice the total of No. 2, New York, with $300.1 billion owed, according to State Budget Solutions, a research and non-partisan advocacy group Texas, with $287 billion owed, New Jersey, with $282.4 billion, and Illinois, with $271.1 billion, ranked next among states with the biggest total debt, according to State Budget Solutions. Vermont had the smallest debt load at $5.85 billion.
10 States With Enormous Debt Problems: Report
Reuters
Â
@NotAChance Well I might be wrong but here is the link I was getting my info from.
http://www.motherjones.com/politics/2011/11/states-federal-taxes-spending-charts-maps
Where's your link?Â