Sequester is a package of automatic spending cuts set to slash funding for government agencies. It began to unfold during the debt crisis of 2011, when Republicans demanded that serious budget cuts be included in legislation that raised the debt ceiling.
Congress was tasked with finding ways to implement the $1.2 trillion in cuts, to be spread across a nine-year period, but partisan gridlock has kept Washington from coming to such an agreement. Therefore, the first $85 billion of these automatic cuts has gone into effect for the remainder of the 2013 fiscal year.
Almost all government programs would feel the sequester’s effects, but hardest hit would be the military, which would see $550 million pulled from its funding. Programs in health care, law enforcement, education, unemployment benefits, disaster relief, scientific research, and more would also be cut drastically. State programs that rely on federal funds would have to prepare to receive less, and many government employees would lose their jobs.
The sequester fallout will also affect college students request for grants. As many as 1.4 million students enrolled in higher education institutions could shrink. In addition, 680,000 students enrolled in Federal Work Study programs might see their hours or wages shrink. Automatic spending cuts also threaten to cut employment services and job training programs, particularly for disadvantaged youth.
Top 5 States Affected by the Sequestration
Virginia, California, Texas, Maryland, and Florida
How Will Sequestration Affect You:
- Gradual reduction will grow
- Longer lines at the airport could be a result of the cuts in the number of federal employees.
- Flying could be more dangerous, if cuts result in fewer air traffic controllers and aircraft safety inspectors or TSA agents working.
- Government agencies may have to consider furloughs for hundreds of thousands of federal employees. A
- Approximately 700,000 jobs could be affected. Another study has stated that number could be more than 2 million.
- Less manpower at the Justice Department investigating and prosecuting federal crimes.
- Fewer food-safety and product inspections taking place.
- The CDC will have less funds for researching life-threatening diseases.
- Federal workers will see furloughs.
- Take-home pay will be reduced.
- Money is sucked out of the economy because people won’t spend.
- Education could take a hit because there will be fewer teachers, and there will be Cuts in funding for grants and training programs.
- Cuts to college financial aid would result in fewer enrollments.
The Sequester has happen and effect on individual Americans won’t be immediately felt. However no one knows how harmful this Sequester may be.
Will the Sequester affect you
