Domestic Effects

2,100
fewer food safety inspections
would be conducted at domestic
and foreign plants.

4,000
workers would be furloughed
every day at the F.A.A.,
causing flight backups.

70,000
children would lose Head Start;
the cuts also jeopardize

14,000
teachers and other school employees.

125,000
families would be put at sudden
risk of homelessness because
their rental assistance would end.

373,000
seriously mentally ill adults and
severely emotionally disturbed
children would most likely lose
their treatments.

600,000
women and children would lose
nutrition aid from the Women,
Infants and Children program.

Military and
Security Effects

2,600
fewer criminal and civil cases
would be handled by
federal prosecutors because of
staff reductions.

251,000
civilians employed by the Army
could be furloughed for
up to 22 days.

$3 billion
would be the potential shortfall in
the military’s health insurance
program; some services could be
denied for retirees and
dependents of active-duty
personnel.

25 and 470
ships and aircraft, respectively,
would forgo maintenance.

New York Times

My latest theory is that the Republicans are playing a down-to-the-wire game, waiting to see how effective their efforts have been to make Obama responsible for the sequester. If they see they’re not succeeding, they’ll give in at the last minute rather than take the fall for the sequester. I think the general belief nationwide — that the Republicans are responsible for the mess in Congress — means Republicans will be blamed no matter what. And they’d do a whole lot better if they cooperated with Democrats on making the sequester unnecessary.

Cross-posted from Prairie Weather

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