The Truth About Sequestration

Spending today is 13% higher than it was in just 2008. But the tax revenue is down 9.3% despite all recent tax increases. Why – because millions of people are out of work.

The key to getting the revenue back up – is to get millions of jobs back into our economy.

For a review of how our economy collapsed – click here.

President Obama’s comments about the sequester are plainly untrue.

Bogus Line # 1

President Obama claims that unless Congress raises taxes to undo the imminent automatic budget cuts known as sequestration, the Transportation Security Administration (TSA) would be forced to reduce security measures, leaving travelers and the airways vulnerable and increasing wait times at airports.

NOT TRUE

Bogus Line #2

The Obama administration would have you believe it’s coming from “vital” social programs. That grandma and grandpa will not receive their Social Security checks or be able to get an appointment with their Medicare Participating doctor.

NOT TRUE

Here is the truth…

Sequestration leaves the largest component of federal spending—entitlements—nearly untouched. Instead, it falls most heavily on national defense, with 50 percent of sequestration cuts impacting national security. Thirty-five percent would impact non-defense discretionary spending. Less than 15 percent would fall on mandatory spending, which consumes 62 percent of the federal budget.

Democrats took over spending in January 2007 – Federal Spending by Year

2007 - $2.96 Trillion

2008 - $3.168 Trillion

2009 - $3.696 Trillion

2010 - $3.590 Trillion

2011 - $3.666 Trillion

2012 - $3.563 Trillion

IN TRILLIONS OF INFLATION-ADJUSTED DOLLARS

Source: Office of Management and Budget, Budget of the U.S. Government, FY 2013: Historical Tables, Tables 8.1 and 1.1, February 2012, http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicals

(accessed August 8, 2012), and

Congressional Budget Office, An Update to the Budget and Economic Outlook:

Fiscal Years 2012 to 2022, August - 2012, Table 1–1, http://cbo.gov/publication/43543

(accessed August 23, 2012).

The sequester won’t lay off teachers

President Obama has also claimed that our nation’s children will be at risk of a poor education if the cuts go through:

“our ability to teach our kids the skills they’ll need for the jobs of the future would be put at risk…70,000 young children would be kicked off Head Start, 10,000 teacher jobs would be put at risk, and funding for up to 7,200 special education teachers, aides, and staff could be cut.”

NOT TRUE

No federal education program operated by the Department of Education directly funds teacher salaries—this is a state and local responsibility. Further, there are a multitude of ineffective and duplicative programs that could—and should—be cut, saving billions of dollars annually and restoring state and local education decision-making authority… (Education:No Room for Sequestration Cuts? – by T. Elliot Gaiser and Jason Lloyd)

The Truth

Here is a graph that is a clear visual of how absolutely minimal the sequestration cuts are. The graph also proves the case that we are not cutting spending from earlier levels. All the sequestration does is ‘slow the growth’ of spending. But in no way does cut spending the way we must in order to stop our nation from economic catastrophe.

I say – let the cuts happen! It high-time the Federal Government do what every other state or for that matter family must do – LIVE WITHIN ITS MEANS.

Resources & Links

http://cbo.gov/publication/43543

Federal Spending by the Numbers - 2012

http://www.whitehouse.gov/omb/budget/Historicals

http://blog.heritage.org/2013/02/25/education-no-room-for-sequestration-cuts/

Is Sequestration As Bad As President Obama Would Have You Believe?