If Congress and President Obama are unable to reach an alternate debt agreement by March 1st, the automatic spending cuts involved with sequestration will begin to take effect.
Where did this whole sequestration thing come from?
The impending sequestration was first introduced in the 2011 Budget Control Act which was passed in order to prevent default on the federal debt. If the plan takes effect, the total cuts would total $1.2 trillion over the next 10 years.
According to the White House Office of Management and Budget, if no alternate or temporary resolution can be reached, many governmental departments and programs will be effected. For example, Border Control and the FBI will be required to lay off agents; The Department of Defense will cut $500 billion over the next 10 years; education programs nationwide and FEMA will face large budget cuts leading to predicted extensive lay-offs; the U.S. Department of Agriculture will face cuts leading to fewer inspections at processing plants in addition to the WIC program cuts which will minimize the number or recipients.
So, what about military families?
Although it has been suggested that operations in Afghanistan would be subject to these potential cuts, the DoD has not yet released how the cuts would directly involve military personnel and units. The Military Family Association recommends that you contact your member of Congress to ask what they are doing to avoid this situation. Many programs which have been created to support military families could be cut as well. Contacting your congressional member could have a drastic effect on the outcome of the sequestration. Be proactive in order to prevent the Congressional Budget Office’s estimation of a total of 1.4 million jobs that will be lost throughout this process.
