Congresswoman Nita Lowey spoke on Monday about the widespread impact in the Lower Hudson Valley if sequestration goes into effect as scheduled on Friday, March 1. She characterized the $85 billion across the board federal program cuts as “senseless.”
In Rockland and Westchester counties, she predicted school districts would lose $4.4 million in federal funds. On average, each school district would be cut by $100,000.
In Rockland, East Ramapo stands to lose $843,520 and Clarkstown would be cut by $121,614. The impact on Nyack would be $50,067, Nanuet $30,397 and Pearl River $33,620. In Westchester, White Plains, Port Chester/Rye and Lakeland would be the hardest hit with cuts of $156,363, $119,589 and $94,784 respectively. (See attached PDF for specifics on other school districts.)
Camp Smith in Cortland would receive $3.1 million less in federal funding. Out of the 62 National Institute of Health grants totaling $25 million that are earmarked for medical research in the two counties, $1.3 million of 5.3 percent would be cut over the next seven months.
We’re facing a self-inflicted economic wound, and action cannot wait,” said Lowey during a conference call. “I hope that the Republican leadership will come to the table so we can find a reasonable, bipartisan solution to avoid these senseless cuts. ”
Lowey said the effect of sequestration might not be felt for one or two weeks but then organizations will have to let people go because the funds will not be available to pay them. In the case of first responders, $860,000 would be trimmed from the training and equipment budgets for volunteer firefighters and law enforcement officers.
The State Criminal Assistance Program would not escape the cuts. The program, which covers jail, costs for local governments housing undocumented aliens who commit crimes, would be chopped by $62,955 in Westchester and $22,354 in Rockland.
Lowey said sequestration would result in national job losses up to 750,000, a slowing economy and cuts in services that will affect everyone. The ranking member of the House Appropriations Committee depicted sequestration as a Republican policy pushed forward by members of the Tea Party. She emphasized it is not the balanced approach required to addressing the federal deficit and debt.
"... if nothing else changes, spending in 2013 will be $3.6 trillion, an increase of nearly 2% over 2012, according to data from the CBO. That's because the sequester's "cuts" are actually just reductions in planned spending hikes." http://news.investors.com/ibd-editorials-perspective/013113-642705-federal-fiscal-austerity-is-a-myth.htm?p=full
http://clerk.house.gov/evs/2011/roll677.xml
Thanks, "Patriots." You are well trained.
Romney + Ryan ran for the White House on a platform that included closing loop holes for millionaires. Now, not so much? Why's that? Keeping a tax loop hole in place so that a hedge fund manager earning $10 Milliion a year can defer ALL income tax payable on that amount is now more important to Republicans than cuts to programs like Meals on Wheels, Head Start, etc? When Romney proposed closing loopholes it was ok. But Obama not so much? Kinda hypocritical, don'tcha think??? Insofar as cuts are concerned, the BCA of 2011 included $1.5 trillion in reductions in discretionary spending, producing lower interest payments on the debt. The interest savings amount to about $250 billion, bringing the total deficit reduction achieved to date to more than $1.7 trillion, per the Center for Public Policy. Let's face it, ithe Republicans won't close the loopholes at this point because it could be construed by the right as a victory for Obama. And we just can't have that, can we.
But wait, there’s more! The sequester that has so incensed the democrats (esp. Ms. Lowey) is only a start at reducing projected INCREASES in spending. Remember when Gov Cuomo re-set planned NYS budgeting so that an inflation level of increases in spending wasn’t automatic; e.g., a zero growth budget wasn’t really zero? Well, Mr. Obama hasn’t gotten there yet. So relax. Enjoy the lack of progress the sequester is actually making. Until our national “leaders” decide to move to a zero-based budgeting process that assumes 0 for automatic increases AND takes a realistic whack out of entitlements, we should all expect the deficit to continue and the debt to grow.
Sequestration cuts $85 billion this year. Yet this will cause kaos? All this talk about border guards being fired. First responders being cut etc. All Crap. The budgets will still be more then the previous year. All Kabuki theatre. Like everything this administration does.
How many of you have had pay increases of 1.6% each year over the last five? Cause that's what these "devastating" cuts actually add up too.