Think Progress: 12 Programs Congress Refuses to Save From Sequestration

Jet-setters protected from government cuts. Thanks for nothing. This is from “Think Progress.”

12 Programs Congress Refuses to Save From Sequestration

As they were rushing to board their flights home for the weekend, Senators and members of Congress pushed through a bill to allow the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA) to reshuffle funding in order to avoid the flight delays caused by FAA furloughs due to the sequester.

Unfortunately for millions of Americans who cannot afford to get on a plane, Congress has yet to repeal the disastrous and devastating cuts to important programs for the poor, mothers, children, and many others.

A flight delay is inconvenient, not being able to receive your cancer treatment is a matter of life and death. Here’s 12 important programs that Congress has so far refused to save from the sequester’s automatic cuts, even though they’ve been in place for nearly 2 months. By contrast, the FAA furloughs caused flight delays for just four days.

1. Long-term unemployment: There are 4.7 million Americans who have been unemployed for longer than six months, but sequestration cut federal long-term unemployment insurance checks by up to 10.7 percent, costing recipients as much as $450 over the rest of the year. Those cuts compound the cuts eightstates have made to their unemployment programs, and 11 states are considering dropping the federal program altogether because of sequestration — even though the long-term unemployed are finding it nearly impossible to return to work.

2. Head Start: Low-income children across the country have been kicked out of Head Start education programs because of the 5-percent cuts mandated by sequestration, as states have cut bus transportation services and started conducting lotteries to determine which kids would no longer have access to the program, even though the preschool program has been proven to have substantial benefits for low-income children. In all, about 70,000 children will lose access to Head Start and Early Head Start programs.

3. Cancer treatment: Budget cuts have forced doctors and cancer clinics to deny chemotherapy treatments to thousands of cancer patients thanks to a 2 percent cut to Medicare. One clinic in New York has refused to see more than 5,000 of its Medicare patients, and many cancer patients have had to travel to other states to receive their treatments, an option that obviously isn’t available to lower-income people. Rep. Renee Ellmers (R-NC) proposed restoring the funding, but the legislation so far hasn’t moved in Congress.

4. Health research: The National Institutes of Health lost $1.6 billion thanks to sequestration, jeopardizing important health research into AIDS, cancer, and other diseases. That won’t just impact research and the people who do it, though. It will also hurt the economy, costing the U.S. $860 billion in lost economic growth and at least 500,000 jobs. Budget cuts will also hamper research at colleges and universities.

5. Low-income housing: 140,000 low-income families — primarily seniors with disabilities and families with children — will lose rental assistance thanks to sequestration’s budget cuts. Even worse, the cuts could likely make rent and housing more expensive for those families, as agencies raise costs to offset the pain of budget cuts, and sequestration will also cut from programs that aid the homeless and fund the construction of low-income housing.

6. Student aid: Sequestration is already raising fees on Direct student loans, increasing costs for students who are already buried in debt. The budget cuts reduce funding for federal work study grants by $49 million and for educational opportunity grants by $37 million, and the total cuts will cost 70,000 college students access to grants they depend on.

7. Meals On Wheels: Local Meals on Wheels programs, which help low-income and disabled seniors access food, have faced hundreds of thousands of dollars in cuts, costing tens of thousands of seniors access to the program. Many of those seniors have little access to food without the program, but Congress has made no effort to replace the funding.

8. Disaster relief: The Federal Emergency Management Administration will lose nearly $1 billion in funding thanks to sequestration, jeopardizing aid for families, cities, and states right as the spring storm season begins. The aid package Congress passed for Hurricane Sandy relief will also see more than $1 billion in reductions.

9. Heating assistance: The Low Income Home Energy Assistance Program (LIHEAP) helps nearly 9 million households afford their heating and cooling bills. Sequestration will cut the program by an estimated $180 million, meaning about 400,000 households will no longer receive aid. These cuts come on top of $1.6 billion in reductions since 2010.

10. Workplace safety: The Occupational Safety and Health Administration (OSHA) has long suffered from a lack of funds, which means its staff is so stretched that many workplaces go without an inspection for 99 years. The fertilizer plant that exploded in West, Texas, for example, hadn’t had a visit from OSHA since 1985. That will get worse, as sequestration will cut the agency’s budget by $564.8 million, likely leading to 1,200 fewer workplace inspections.

11. Obamacare: Sequestration cuts a number of important programs in the Affordable Care Act: $13 million from the Consumer Operated and Oriented Plan Program, or CO-OPs; $57 million from the Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control program; $51 million from the Prevention and Public Health Fund; $27 million from the State Grants and Demonstrations program; and $44 million from the Affordable Insurance Exchange Grants program, or the insurance exchanges.

12. Child care: Child care costs can exceed rent payments or college tuition and waiting lists for getting assistance are already long. Yet sequestration will reduce funds even further, meaning that 30,000 children will lose subsidies for care. For example, Arizona will experience a $3 million cut to funding that will force 1,000 out of care.

President Obama’s stumbling reaction to Boston arrest

It was not a powerful speech. It was hardly a speech. In fact, the President’s reaction to news that the remaining suspect in the Boston Marathon bombings is now in custody was a disconnected, rambling mess of clichés in search of a theme. Perhaps his speech writers have been cut because of the sequester. The only problem with that is that the man has an Ivy League education and should certainly be able to pull together one or two coherent thoughts in a tight spot.

Has President Obama ever heard of the word “alleged?” The suspect is not necessarily a terrorist and it has not been proven that he was radicalized into anything. All we know is that one man has been accused of a very serious crime. So far, he has not even been arraigned. The accused person is, in fact, wrapped in a presumption of innocence. The government must prove that the defendant is guilty beyond a reasonable doubt. So far they have proved nothing. A little more restraint might be in order.

The media revolving door swings shut on Behar, Hasselbeck and Curry

Real men can watch “The View.” Being the consummate real man, I can watch whatever I want and cuddle a teddy bear while I do it. There is nothing wrong with “The View,” and I occasionally do enjoy a few minutes with it, usually in the company of my wife, the Lovely Marie.

All of the recent media hubbub over Barbara Walters’ little midday coven has me very intrigued. I typically agree with Joy, and I still think she is a redheaded pile of ignorance. This is how an algebra teacher feels when he sees the right answer on the bottom line and each step in the process is an incoherent mess. Joy has fabulous laugh lines and I know her standup routine must be a complete scream.

Then there is Elizabeth. I will say this much about Ms. Hasselbeck, she reads the daily conservative talking point fax with complete accuracy and passion. If only I could read Carl Roves darkest fantasies with a straight face, but no tears over missed opportunities. The beautiful Elizabeth is said to be a whiz at design and many entrepreneurial ventures. I guess it must be pretty easy when the country’s richest and most powerful corporations and the top 1% are solidly on your side. Hasselbeck may be going to CNN and, to be perfectly honest, I am overjoyed. I hope they give her hurricane duty. Yes. I want to see Elizabeth Hasselbeck tied to a tree on the Mississippi Gulf coast while winds pick up to 90 mph. NOTE TO E. H.: be sure to keep that broom in the motel room closet.

Ann Curry is leaving NBC. I love the peacock and it is a darned shame that they seem unable to set aside an incomprehensible grudge and just let Ann go. Curry is far too serious for indifferent and uninformed audience. That NBC can not pull off the firing that should be a slam-dunk is a testimony to the corporation’s increasing irrelevancy. Anyway, Ann Curry may be going to the new American version of Al Jazeera. That’s just too cool and I sincerely wish her well. Curry has a touch for the international beat and she would be an asset. MEMO TO A.  J.: Ol’ Lyncho is still looking for work. I would be the perfect curmudgeon for your new network. And I promise to lose that ugly 10 pounds if you take a (very small and reasonable) chance on me!