Bracing for the Sequester
Posted at 11 a.m. on Feb. 25
With the sequester set to take effect on March 1 and little evidence that lawmakers will prevent the cuts in the near future, federal agencies, private companies, and non-profits are preparing for reductions in almost every area of government.
ABC News has a lengthy roundup of over 50 areas that will be impacted by the cuts, from air travel disruptions to a weaker social safety net to reduced border security.
The Hill looks at health care: “Doctors and hospitals say the sequester’s Medicare cuts will cost their industries more than 200,000 jobs just this year. A reduction in food inspections could lead to more food-borne illnesses, the White House has warned. And advocates for medical research say their work could be set back a generation… Those losses could cause delays in the approval of new drugs and medical devices.”
The Financial Times notes that the cuts will impact the long-term unemployed: “About 3.8m Americans who have been unemployed for more than six months receive emergency federal jobless benefits worth on average about $300 per week… that assistance would be cut by a little less than $30 per week.”
