Washington (CNNMoney) - Federal workers could start facing furloughs as early as April, according to federal agencies trying to prepare for the worst.
Unless Congress steps in, some $85 billion in massive spending reductions will hit the federal government, doling out furloughs to much of the nation's 2.1 million federal workforce, experts say.
FULL STORY
The government has grown so large, these cuts won't even be noticed by the public. It just trims a small amount of the FAT!
Beg to differ with you, Rick. Our federal workforce has not grown in the past 4-5 years or so. Not only has it not grown, salaries have been frozen.
Good! Unionized federal workers are the main reason we're broke.
-The sequester DOES NOT cut federal spending. CNN needs to stop perpetuating this lie! Despite all the bashing that Fox News draws, today they have a home page story where a senator, in this case, Rand Paul (R-Kentucky) states that federal budgets, including the Defense Dept's, shall INCREASE even under the sequester. It is only a question of HOW MUCH the budget increases by.
-State governments use the dirty trick where when a real cut is made, the hurt is MAXIMIZED to stir public outrage. In California, the classic is having the TV news camera on a few crying women around a politician who is denouncing the other party that pushed for the cuts. Right now, at the federal level, Republicans and Democrats are equally adept at whining over "Draconian" cuts that are NOT even real cuts.
-Federal employees, for all practical purpose, cannot be terminated. This is why the talk is of furlough, not of layoffs.
If sequester occurs, will congressional staff for congress be included?
The consequences of years (decades) of mismanagement are coming to fruition. The government is extremely wasteful and somehow DC is now the wealthiest metropolitan region in the country. Of course the Dems will blame the GOP, because nothing is ever their fault. Meanwhile, the rest of America will continue to live in the real world where people have budgets and responsibilities.
Agreed. And I'm a federal employee.
.......Start with Defense "contractors" FIRST...............
Whatever this is or isn't in terms of impact, it underscores the intransigence on both sides. Don't know about everyone else but I never received pay for failing.
the more lay offs the better....
It is only a small amount of fat cut from government when your health and welfare is not dependent on government services. Republicans/Tea Partiers are only happy when the wealth divide between the 1% and 99% grows even wider.
Rick,
Government Includes the pentagon and the data shows thru an independent agency that the cuts cost 40,000 DOD jobs and 766,000 health care jobs. adding 800K job losses ( possibly more spin off job cuts in the service industries associated) simply adds to government unemployment benefit cost.
I dont see the logic of that. Also every economist and even the mainstream republicans say the sequester is bad for the country.
PS its $120bn in a full year ( not the 85bn for this year).
Regards,
Hodgson.
No, it doesn't trim any of the fat at all. The fat gets protected.
The only jobs cut are the low level ones where regular working Joes keep the basic functions of the country going. They don't save any money to speak of. It's just an empty gesture by lying politicians, whose own 6-figure salaries continue to rise. "Look, I'll screw over some working stiffs I don't care about just to show you how much I care!"
Well, Congress takes enough furloughs. Start with their pay.
All the money this so call uncle sam man is taking out of our checks, before we get them nowthe federal is crying broke whos spending the money an wheres the cutting going to be.