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Government

The Sequester Is Here…

Mar. 1, 2013 9:34pm Jason Howerton

Obama Signs Order to Begin Spending Cuts

Credit: Getty Images

WASHINGTON (TheBlaze/AP) — President Barack Obama has signed an order authorizing the government to begin cutting $85 billion from federal accounts, officially enacting across-the-board reductions.

Obama acted Friday, the deadline for the president and Congress to avoid the steep, one-year cuts.

Obama has insisted on replacing the cuts, known as a “sequester” in government budget language, with tax increases and cuts spread out over time. There has been some disagreement over whose idea the sequester actually was. Veteran journalist Bob Woodward has made the case that it was actually the Obama’s plan. Republicans have rejected any new plan that included tax revenue.

The government says the reductions will soon result in furlough notices to government employees and will trim government spending on defense contracts and in domestic government programs. Active military personnel and anti-poverty and low-income assistance programs are largely protected from the cuts.

Obama met with House Speaker John Boehner, Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell of Kentucky and House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi to discuss the automatic budget cuts. Obviously, there was no breakthrough in negotiations.

Featured image via AFP/Getty

This story has been updated

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Comments (50)

slacker9
Posted on March 2, 2013 at 2:59am
What makes me angry is with sequestration, nothing is cut on foreign aid, welfare, etc. Yet they are cutting Border Patrol Agents pay by 40%. If that doesn’t prove where this administrations priorities are I don’t know what will.

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- NoSleeper
  Posted on March 2, 2013 at 4:54am
  In DoD, 20% gross pay cut for 6 months (1 day w/o pay per week); larger net pay decrease since some deductions are fixed rather than % of gross. Employees will not be allowed to come in and work for free (yes, many have offered). What is not discussed in the layoffs of contractors supporting DoD. Contract awards have slowed and more work being kept in-house.
  
  I have talked with several, and most have been planning for job loss/pay cuts for several years and will get by. Almost all are willing to give up the pay to push the issue for spending cuts and no more tax increases, but hold little hope that either will really come about. Biggest issue is that these cuts only slow the rate of deficit increase, not eliminate it. All hold the President accountable for this fiasco.
  
  Interesting note – not allowing for continuous days of furlough so that, IMHO, employees cannot get unemployment and mess up the carefully contrive numbers reported.
  
  Simple ways to save your tax dollars:
  1) Go after fraud, waste and abuse (like the 30% in Medicare);
  2) Remove unions from the Government (in place by executive orders, by the way)
  3) Stop foreign aid;
  4) Close non-vital overseas bases (another form of foreign aid);
  5) Return functions like labor and education to the States (where they belong) and close the Federal Departments.
  
  Many, many more exist…but stopping the flow of money through the corrupt politicians reduces their power and influence, so it will never happen.
  
  Report this comment
- American Soldier (Separated)
  Posted on March 3, 2013 at 1:09am
  Good. Cut the pay of every govt job. Maybe then they can start a real, productive job that contributes to our GDP rather than blow away all of our tax dollars.
  
  Report this comment
- NoSleeper
  Posted on March 3, 2013 at 4:54am
  @AMERICAN SOLDIER,
  
  I agree with you…somewhat. Most federal jobs should go away entirely. However, the individuals I know are in the DoD making the new equipment and systems used by the Sailors and Soldiers in the field…including items developed in response to Urgent Universal Needs Statements (UUNS) to get items requested BY Soldiers TO the Soldiers as quickly as possible. Many of the others have spent their careers reducing Total Ownership Costs (TOC) on eisting equipment, providing more reliable equipment to the Soldier at less cost to the taxpayer. Some have saved enough to pay for their entire careers, including retirement.
  
  Don’t get me wrong – we can probably get rid of 20 to 30% of the jobs, even in DoD, if we were allowed to do it selectively, getting rid of excessive managers and non-performers…but that doesn’t happen.
  
  Report this comment
sacwoodpusher
Posted on March 2, 2013 at 1:15am
Oh no! The world as we know it is over! Sequestration will gut the federal government, millions will lose their jobs, planes will fall from the sky, there will not be enough TSA employees to grope old ladies, kids will lose their milk subsidy, and all those people on foods stamps are going to have to cut back on their beer!

You know, I only know sequestration is here because I am able to check on the internet……work was slammin today, orders coming in as fast as I could take them……lI think we’re gonna survive.

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GreenSicko
Posted on March 2, 2013 at 1:13am
Breaching News 10 minutes into the sequester Michelle midnight order of French fries were canceled..

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AChatterer
Posted on March 2, 2013 at 12:39am
What we need to do is put a committee together to figure out what kind of studies we should implement to research the kind of action plan we can use to create a committee to properly deal with this issue.

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- Eastinfection
  Posted on March 2, 2013 at 6:20am
  I don’t like that plan. Not enough over-sight.
  We need to give few a university grants out to research the most practical way of forming these committees.
  OK… now we need to form an organization to decide who gets the grants.
  …and Congressional hearings to vet the potential members of that organization.
  .. AND the IRS will have to hire more agents to audit everyone involved to make sure they were never in the Tea Party.
  
  Report this comment
WeHoldTheseTruths
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 11:51pm
A cut of 85 billion from the nearly 4 trillion that the government wastes every year. I’ll be in my underground sequester proof bunker, cue the zombies.

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zetuff
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 11:43pm
are we the people being set up for the perfect storm??.. obama is going to cut security at the airports and at the border…could and will a terror attack happen??. and then obama will blame it on the republicans!! and say if only the people give him the power to become a dictator this wouldnt of happened.. obama will come out push more DHS. and more TSA..GUN controll..even maybe WW3~~

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Wannabee
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 11:25pm
This is the way to go. House does not fund anything new for remainder of FY 2013 and FY 2014 including funds for Obamacare, except for national defense or extreme needs. No additional revenues (taxes) and sequestration continuing right througth FY 2014. This consists of real cuts of about 1.3% for the remainder of this year and 2% next year. This is no sacrifice compared to what needs to be done to save America for our children and prevent a bust that will be much worse than that of 2008-2010..

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spfoam1
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 11:25pm
This may be much worse than expected. The sun has already disappeared and it’s not even midnight yet.

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Xanderson
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 11:24pm
Fellow Americans, you need not fear! This March (sequester-madness) will be no different than any other under King Obama’s reign– In like a Liar and out like a Scam.

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Wannabee
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 11:06pm
What happened to NO BUDGET NO PAY for Congress?
Senator’s PAY must be stoppped! They have broke the law spending without a budget
Presidential vacations and campaigning should be cut.
President should stay in WH and pretend he is doing the job way past his competence level.

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- Caniac Steve
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 11:20pm
  agreed 16.7Trillion %
  
  Report this comment
- selfd59
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 11:43pm
  As a “Federale” this affects me quite personally. Yes, I say the same thing…why, pray tell, are political appointees, members of Congress and their staffers still drawing their respective salaries and benefits when it’s obvious that they’re unwilling to deliver a workable budget? Never mind that the head man in charge is himself utterly clueless about how to get off the dime. Why isn’t THEIR pay being cut or held up when they’re patently not getting the job done?
  Yet I don’t expect any sympathy, never mind the personal hardship (going through a divorce which is never easy on the wallet). If anything, John and Jane Q Taxpayer would both say, “welcome to our world!” It’s a fact of life, and career federal employees had better get used to the economic realities of an employer that is foundering. Ask those that work(ed) for GM, Chrysler, or Hostess…
  
  Report this comment
Outlaw_Josey_Wales
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:22pm
I’m going to drive over the the airport in Detroit, when the clock strikes 12, I will watch airplanes fall out of the sky.

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- guns-an-bibles
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:35pm
  Dear Lord, Please be with us in our time of need. Sequestration is so bad, global warming is already dying!
  
  Report this comment
- Contrarian51
  Posted on March 2, 2013 at 12:56am
  I’m surprised we’re even able to make the posts, it being the end of the world and all.
  
  Report this comment
DEFCON4
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:18pm
“Remain Calm”. “All is Well”. — http://youtu.be/zDAmPIq29ro

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TheAlamoLives
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:17pm
I hope the govt can’t pay for all the ammo ordered and free up the market for us.

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- Fubared
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:27pm
  Or just have dhs cut back a little. Jeesh. Insanity is a buck a round for 5.56
  
  Report this comment
fastgen1
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:15pm
Well what’s going to happen to the 47%ers, oh the poor lazy people,,,,,,,

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- bhink73
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:27pm
  Fear not! 20% live in Detroit and will be collecting garbage before month’s end so say’s the Gov.
  
  Report this comment
- USALOVER2011
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:34pm
  Don’t we all wish that something will really happen to all of these parasites due to sequester? I believe that they are all protected by odummer and his cronies…He will cut everything else first before he’ll do anything to entitlement recipients….I heard he will be spending $2.2 billion dollars this year on odummer phones alone….
  
  Report this comment
freedom_gurl35
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:14pm
Actually, even with the sequester in place, the Obama administration can still have its “revenue” if they made Obama and the fam stay at the White House and, I dunno, WORK instead of separate vacations and kicking around with the rich and famous on the golf course.

Just sayin’.

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freedom_gurl35
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:12pm
It’s the end of the world as we know it…

http://youtu.be/Z0GFRcFm-aY

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MeteoricLimbo
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:11pm
Oy Vey

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SCREW-WINDOWS
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:06pm
Don’t worry folks the layoffs as said the unemployment checks add more to the economy than working so we should have a boom.

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John 1776
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 9:57pm
So, you go to buy a boat and the guy says, “That will be $3,500.” And you say, “can’t you drop the price a bit?” and he say, “uh… ok, take $85 off, but you’re really hurting me on this deal.” and you say “WHAT???”

$85b off of $3.5t
Same amount.

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- Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:15pm
  That depends, does it have a fish finder, and what size is the motor?
  
  Report this comment
DZ-015
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 9:56pm
A pox collapse now, ar (meh) geddon tomorrow.

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electroencephalographic
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 9:55pm
The horror indeed, Fubared. My brain hurts.

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Fubared
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 9:53pm
That only covered golf for January and February. And you want Moochelle to only have 7-8 vacations? The horror.

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- Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:07pm
  Fubared:
  What this will mean to me is being cut one day a week, or $7,800 cut for the year. But our CinC can fly around the country, go on talk shows and blame everyone, while the cost of his trips to give blame speeches, could keep me and the 800,000 people working. But it’s like they said, the janitors get to keep their hours, they wont be touched, but I manage a multi-million dollar satellite system and numerous projects to keep it running, and I now have to cut my hours. But the trash still gets taken out, I am relieved. And at least the goldfish sex lives are still being studied.
  
  Report this comment
- Fubared
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:24pm
  Hang in there darmok- we gripe bout the gubmint, not those that actually make stuff happen…
  
  Report this comment
- Darmok and Jalad at Tanagra
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 11:25pm
  Fubared:
  Thanks Brah (Hawaiian term)
  What makes me mad is so many are saying, “Good, they are overpaid and need to feel our pain”, but my pay has been frozen for 3 years, and now I get about a 20% cut, and along with that they are taking away vacation hours, but my health and dental insurance costs havent’ gone down, in fact they are going up. Gas is going up, food is rising, and our Govt. still is wasting millions of dollars on CRAP. My programs keep taking cuts, I have to try and keep 30 year old equipment running, and yet our parts budget and modernazation budget gets slashed. I am kind of ranting here, but it makes me so mad, I work my **** off trying to keep our men and women in the field safe, and get them the info and support they need. And we get poked at that, “We are going to cut were it hurts instead of cut were it makes sense. I am just so mad.
  
  Report this comment
- katzkiner
  Posted on March 2, 2013 at 12:17am
  IllegalImigrantCosts.com. we will still spend $ 330 billion in services from the states and Feds for our friends from Mexico. You know the ones who don’t need drivers, licenses insurance, file or pay taxes can’t be held in jail or deported. The military and government employees should be leading a revolution.
  
  Report this comment
- electroencephalographic
  Posted on March 1, 2013 at 10:14pm
  Was my comment that obtuse for the blaze?
  
  Report this comment
The_Almighty_Creestof
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 9:47pm
$85 billion? Isn’t that the same amount they were going to rake in with the higher taxes on the rich? That would run the federal government 8 days?

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The_Almighty_Creestof
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 9:45pm
I’ll be under my bed…with my Bible and shotgun.

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Rayblue
Posted on March 1, 2013 at 9:38pm
Yow…

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