Sequestration Cuts Will Be Widespread, Won't All Be Felt Immediately
FORT WORTH (CBS 11 NEWS) - Now that the budget axe is falling on Capitol Hill, the White House warns the cuts will be widespread.
Cal Jillson, a political science professor at SMU, says, "This is going to be a slow-selling, slow developing problem, but it is going to be a problem."
Federal spending is being slashed by $85 billion from March 27th through the end of the fiscal year ending September 30th.
Another $1.2 trillion will be cut over the next nine years.
Half the cuts will come from the military, and local companies with military contracts such as Bell Helicopter and Lockheed Martin could feel an impact.
The sequester could force some North Texas school districts to cut some programs and teachers next school year.
Fewer poor children may receive vaccines, and you may have to wait longer at security checkpoints and for your flight to take off at DFW and Love Field airports.
Budget cuts from the sequester will cause air traffic controllers and TSA agents to be furloughed.
Democrats and the President are crying foul.
But Republicans say spending needs to be cut after years of increases.
Jillson says, "The spending has increased dramatically both in defense and non-defense areas, but what the sequester requires by law is that you do across the board spending cuts in every spending category so it's with a hatchet rather than a scalpel."
The President and his cabinet members have complained under the sequester, they can't pick and choose which programs can be cut.
But Lewisville area Republican Congressman Michael Burgess says the Obama administration needs to do a better job of managing…and avoid cutting services.
"They don't have to have a large travel and meeting budget, they don't have to have some of the printing that the Department of Health and Human services does to extol the head of the health and human services. This stuff does not have to be happening."
Both the President and Republican leaders in Congress are still far apart on a long-term budget deal.
Democratic Congressman Marc Veasey of Fort Worth hopes they can still reach an agreement.
"I hope Speaker Boehner is willing to sit back down with the President and other congressional leaders so we can get past this. We need to get past this for the country."
He agrees with President Obama that besides spending cuts, the government needs more tax revenues.
But Republicans say they only want more spending cuts.
Congressman Burgess points out that the President won $600 billion in new tax hikes during the next ten years.
He says the President's new healthcare law collects $800 billion in new taxes.
Also Check Out:
- Plano Police Warn Hispanic Men Of Violent Attacks
- North Texas Dad Indicted For Carving Pentagram On Son
- Paramedics Packing Heat? One Texas Lawmaker Says Yes
- DISD Approves School Security Upgrades
- College Players Pepper Sprayed After Basketball Game
MOST VIEWED GALLERIES
- PHOTOS: Your Pet Pictures
- PHOTOS: 105.3 The Fan In New Orleans - Day 5
- PHOTOS: Top 10 Cars We Miss
