sequestration

Impact of sequestration felt outside of Washington political arena

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:39:00 GMT

Source: www.uscatholic.org --- Thursday, May 23, 2013
Author: By Chaz Muth Catholic News Service Image caption: CHARLES TOWN, W.Va. (CNS) -- When Misael Santamaria thinks about how well the Head Start program at St. James Catholic Church prepared his older child for the West Virginia public school system, he thanks God it was available for his younger daughter before sequestration cuts eliminates spots for eligible preschoolers. ...

Sequestration Hits National Parks Just In Time For Tourist Season

Thu, 23 May 2013 18:19:30 GMT

Source: www.huffingtonpost.com --- Thursday, May 23, 2013
WASHINGTON -- As people all over the world gear up for their vacations in America's national parks this summer, they should get ready for dirty toilets, unkempt trails, shuttered campgrounds and fewer educational activities. The National Park Service oversees more than 400 areas that nearly 279 million people visited in 2011. But the agency is now grappling with $153.4 million in budget cuts due to sequestration. Government officials worry that these cuts will hurt towns and cities across the country, since the park system generates $30 billion in economic activity and supports 252,000 jobs. Democrats on the House Committee on Natural Resources, led by Rep. Ed Markey (D-Mass.), released a new report Thursday outlining the effects sequestration will have on America's national parks. Their findings come from interviews with superintendents or top deputies at 23 parks, including Grand Teton, Glacier, Assateague Island and Bryce Canyon. Many of the effects will be apparent to tourists this summer. Grand Canyon National Park will be cleaning its restrooms only once a day, rather than twice, while Olympic National Park in Washington "will not open flush-toilet areas and will not service restrooms and pick up trash as frequently." Cape Cod National Seashore is canceling its guided walks and education talks, George Washington Birthplace National Monument in Virginia will be able to provide educational programming to only half as many sch ...

Did the Pentagon cry wolf over sequestration?

Thu, 23 May 2013 15:47:52 GMT

Source: www.stripes.com --- Thursday, May 23, 2013
A funny thing happened on the way to a predicted disaster: The Pentagon is learning to live with the automatic budget cuts its leaders had warned would threaten national security if they took effect. ...

Sequestration to impact Memorial Day travel

Thu, 23 May 2013 10:59:04 GMT

Source: www.bizjournals.com --- Thursday, May 23, 2013
Slightly fewer people are expected to hit the roads for long trips during the upcoming holiday, and sequestration may be playing a factor. AAA projects 34.8 million Americans will journey 50 miles or more from home Memorial Day holiday weekend, a 0.9 percent decrease from the 35.1 million people who traveled last year. Eighty-nine percent of travelers (31.2 million) will travel by automobile, an increase from 31.1 million last year. The Memorial Day holiday travel period is defined as Thursday,… ...

Utah reps question Air Force chief over sequestration, F-35s

Thu, 23 May 2013 06:55:53 GMT

Source: www.standard.net --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Members of Utah’s Congressional Delegation had a special meeting with the U.S. Air Force chief of staff earlier this week, pressing him about issues that could have major impacts at Hill Air Force Base. Republican Senators Orrin Hatch and Mike Lee and Republican Congressmen Rob Bishop, Jason Chaffetz and Chris Stewart all met with Gen. Mark Welsh on Tuesday to discuss a number of issues important to Utah and Hill, most notably the impending Department of Defense sequestration and the delayed delivery of the F-35 Joint Strike Fighter. read more ...

Head Start Teachers, Families, Feel Sequestration Cuts

Thu, 23 May 2013 01:29:52 GMT

Source: rochesterhomepage.net --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Hundreds of head start teachers say they've been told they must take mandatory furloughs. ...

Sequestration stymies federal government cloud ambitions

Wed, 22 May 2013 22:54:21 GMT

Source: whatis.techtarget.com --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The federal government is under mandates to consolidate data centers and deliver IT as a Service, but sequestration makes this easier said than done. ...

We need to reduce the federal budget deficit, but sequestration irresponsibly ma...

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:30:33 GMT

Source: www.facebook.com --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
We need to reduce the federal budget deficit, but sequestration irresponsibly makes these budget cuts in arbitrary ways - and on the backs of hardworking Coloradans and the middle class. That is why I am proud to work with Republican Senator Susan Collins of Maine and introduce our bipartisan plan to empower federal agencies to more strategically implement sequestration cuts. Congress proved it could deal with one small piece of sequestration when it passed our bipartisan bill to avoid furloughs of air traffic controllers. Now it's past-due for Congress to go all-in and pass the bipartisan Udall-Collins plan for the entire federal government. LIKE this post if you agree and WATCH this video of Senator Collins and me speaking about our sequestration flexibility plan. Udall, Collins Urge Congress to Pass Their Bipartisan sequestration Flexibility Plan www.youtube.com Senators Mark Udall (D-Colo.) and Susan Collins (R-Maine) took to the U.S. Senate floor to urge Congress to quickly enact their bipartisan, sensible plan for... ...

Institute for Liberty: Apple Hides $44 Billion From U.S. Tax Collectors, Enough To Pay For Deep Sequestration Cuts

Wed, 22 May 2013 20:22:01 GMT

Source: itbriefing.net --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
WASHINGTON, May 22, 2013 -- The following is being issued by Institute for Liberty: ...

University of Alaska Plans Sequestration Strategy

Wed, 22 May 2013 18:48:45 GMT

Source: www.ktva.com --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
To combat the loss of federal dollars, UA plans to study how it can be more competitive as grants become scarcer. ...

The federal sequestration is hitting healthcare providers pretty hard. Wisconsin...

Wed, 22 May 2013 17:21:28 GMT

Source: www.facebook.com --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
The federal sequestration is hitting healthcare providers pretty hard. Wisconsin-based Ministry Health Care has announced it will be forced to begin cutting its workforce because of the sequestration cuts, and also the declining demand for treatment … Ministry Health Care to cut staff ...

AIPLA Challenges OMB on USPTO Sequestration Funding

Wed, 22 May 2013 16:49:08 GMT

Source: www.ipwatchdog.com --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
Jeffery Lewis, who is the President of the American Intellectual Property Law Association (AIPLA), sent a letter to Sylvia Matthews Burwell, who is the Director of the Office of Management and Budget (OMB). In this letter Lewis, speaking on behalf of the AIPLA and its 15,000 members, challenged the legal interpretation of the budget cuts the Obama Administration says are required of the USPTO thanks to sequestration. Related posts: Jeffrey I.D. Lewis Installed as AIPLA President for 2012-2013 Term “I am honored to have been elected President of an outstanding organization that plays a pivotal role in the global IP landscape,” Mr. Lewis said. “The coming year promises to be one of continuing change as the evolving global economy and ongoing advances in technology raise new challenges for the IP industry. I am excited to have the opportunity to work with AIPLA and its membership to address these issues and help to ensure that our intellectual property system remains strong and serves the best interests of its participants.”... “Substantial Budgetary Uncertainty” for the USPTO Late this afternoon Teresa Rea, the Acting Under Secretary of Commerce for Intellectual Property and Acting Director of the United States Patent and Trademark Office, sent an e-mail to all those who work for the USPTO. The e-mail was simply titled: "A Message from Teresa Stanek Rea." The message was simple, the USPTO is facing "substantial budgetary uncertaint ...

Sequestration and Alamance seniors

Wed, 22 May 2013 13:06:00 GMT

Source: www.thetimesnews.com --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
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The Impact of Sequestration on Our Servicemembers and Military

Wed, 22 May 2013 09:30:00 GMT

Source: www.durbin.senate.gov --- Wednesday, May 22, 2013
[WASHINGTON, DC] U.S. Senator Dick Durbin (D-IL) questioned Secretary of the Army John McHugh and Chief of Staff of the Army General Raymond Odierno regarding the impact of sequestration on servicemembers and our military during a hearing of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on Defense. ...

Sequestration: Colorado At Risk of Losing Millions

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:56:46 GMT

Source: www.safehousealliance.org --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
U.S. Congressman Jared Polis At a recent community round table hosted by the Boulder Chamber of Commerce, Congressman Jared Polis talked about the federal government’s “sequestration” situation and said that in his opinion there was little chance Congress would act any time soon to end these mandatory budget cuts. Congress managed to pass legislation in a matter of days in response to the inevitable delays caused by mandatory furloughs for air traffic controllers, proving that they can act when they are sufficiently motivated. Unfortunately the impact of sequestration on some of our nation’s most vulnerable populations doesn’t seem to be as compelling as flight delays and much of the impact of sequestration is simply being ignored. Affects on Children & Veterans In Colorado alone, at least 700 low income children will not be able to attend Head Start or Early Head Start pre-school programs. Across the U.S., sequestration is expected to cut up to 70,000 children from these early-education/school-readiness programs. Although the Veteran’s Administration is technically exempt from sequestration cuts, veterans are still feeling the hurt. Under a federal housing program that helps roughly 100,000 Americans, homeless and formerly homeless veterans will lose assistance due to the sequester. The program is run by the Department of Housing and Urban Development and provides state grants to help veterans get housing. Active duty military p ...

Russell Rumbaugh interviewed on Federal News Radio on how sequestration affects the defense budget

Tue, 21 May 2013 21:23:35 GMT

Source: vroo.pair.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Federal News Radio’s “In Depth” program hosted Russell Rumbaugh, who spoke on the pending cuts the Pentagon faces with sequestration in effect. From the show’s blog: Under sequestration, DoD will have to cut its previously planned spending by more than $500 billion over the next ten years. The approach is painful, across the board and haphazard - military leaders have warned it will cause a crisis in readiness. But there’s no shortage of ideas on how to trim defense spending without drastically harming military capability. Washington is awash in the cost-cutting recommendations of boards and commissions, most of which have gone ignored by Congress. And a new review of those ideas by the Stimson Center says altogether, they could save about a trillion dollars if they were implemented. Russell Rumbaugh the director of Stimson’s budgeting for foreign affairs program and a coauthor of that new report, joins In Depth with his take on DoD cost cutting. To hear the full interview, click here . ...

AAA: Sequestration to put the squeeze on holiday travel

Tue, 21 May 2013 16:18:23 GMT

Source: www.washingtontimes.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Memorial Day travelers will have slightly less company on the roads this year because of the effects of sequestration, travel officials said Tuesday. About 795,000 motorists are expected to get behind the wheel this weekend, compared to about 800,000 last year — a drop of less than 1 percent. "There ... ...

Oklahoma Tornado Fallout: Disaster Assistance, Weather Detection Spending Cut in Sequestration

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:17:24 GMT

Source: www.theatlantic.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The wreckage of a tornado that tore through an Oklahoma town (AP Photo) As disaster personnel and volunteers comb through the havoc left by the tornadoes that tore through Oklahoma on Sunday and Monday, they are going to rely on critical federal funding that was severely cut by the massive cuts known as sequestration. President Obama has already declared a state of emergency for Oklahoma, directing federal aid for state and local recovery. This allows the Federal Emergency Management to provide temporary housing, home repairs, loans for the uninsured home, and other disaster relief programs. Speaking on Tuesday, the president guaranteed federal resources for victims. "As a nation, our full focus right now is on the urgent work of rescue, and the hard work of recovery and rebuilding that lies ahead," he said. "The people of Moore should know that their country will remain on the ground, there for them, beside them, as long as it takes." He added later, "Our prayers are with the people of Oklahoma today and we will back up those prayers with deeds for as long as it takes." And while the president has directed all needed federal assistance in this case, making no mention of sequestration, cuts to the FEMA and other governmental programs could prove tricky in the weeks and months ahead. Due to the massive cuts brought on by sequestration, the disaster relief section of FEMA's budget will lose $1 billion this year. Following the devas ...

No, Sequestration Didn't Affect the Tornado Forecast This Time

Tue, 21 May 2013 15:10:27 GMT

Source: www.slate.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
The Moore, OK tornado is the first devastating natural disaster since budget sequestration went into place two months ago. At that time, Democrats warned that NOAA and the National Weather Service were already falling behind and could hardly put up with a round of cuts or furloughs. Happily, though, neither agency has cut back yet -- there wasn't any real-time cutback that affected the outlook before the tornado hit Oklahoma. "There are currently no furloughs in place at the National Weather Service -- or anywhere within NOAA," said Ciaran Clayton, a spokesman for the agency, via email. "We are still in good faith negotiations with our unions on our proposal -- which is for four furlough days across NOAA -- some 12,000 employees (due to sequestration, the NWS was facing up to 10 days of furloughs, and other offices within NOAA were facing up to 20 -- in order to mitigate that on our employees and operations, we have proposed 4 furlough days across the organization). Employees are entitled to a 30-day furlough notice as well -- and as of today those have not been issued." But no one's really discussing upping the agencies' budgets. Oklahoma's senators, James Inhofe and Tom Coburn, both opposed aid after Hurricane Sandy; today, Inhofe was still seething that Sandy money went to some other states that weren't affected. Coburn wants to offset any aid to Oklahoma with cuts elsewhere. ...

Sequestration hits Kansas: 6,000 military workers will be furloughed

Tue, 21 May 2013 12:53:37 GMT

Source: www.bizjournals.com --- Tuesday, May 21, 2013
Military officials in Kansas are making tough decisions on how to implement the furloughs of more than 6,000 civilian employees, The Topeka Capital-Journal reports. sequestration and the resulting federal budget cuts will hit numerous military operations in Kansas, including the Army's Command and General Staff College at Fort Leavenworth and the Kansas National Guard. Scott Gibson, spokesman for Fort Leavenworth's Combined Arms Center, said the furloughs will affect about 2,600 employees on the… ...