The White House on Sunday delivered a state-by-state laundry list of multibillion-dollar federal spending cuts that would occur if sequestration takes effect on Friday.
If Congress and the White House cannot reach an agreement to avert the automatic cuts, a broad swath of government services would be reduced: law enforcement, food safety, schools, national parks, health services and the military. More specifically: Kids sent home from Head Start, airline passengers stuck at choked security checkpoints, unemployed people turned away from job counseling.
The cuts would hit states reliant on defense spending especially hard, with 8 percent of all military spending set to be reduced over the rest of the fiscal year. Tens of thousands of civilian Defense Department employees would be furloughed. Five percent of all other federal spending would be cut.
The 50-state list was released as President Obama hosted the governors at a White House dinner, an annual tradition of the National Governors Association winter meeting.
Asked what he would say to the President at the governors’ meeting with him Monday, Republican Governor Robert McDonnell said, "I would say Mr. President, it's been 18 months. What the heck is going on? Stop having press conferences and get something done...oh, and by the way you're hurting my state."
Dan Pfeiffer, senior advisor to President Obama, countered, “These effects are real.” In a conference call with reporters, Pfeiffer said, “There are hundreds of thousands of Americans who are working today who will lose their jobs…which is as catastrophic a thing as can happen to family finances.”
Oklahoma Governor Mary Fallin, vice chair of the NGA and a Republican, said in an interview that her biggest worry is the timing of the sequester.
"The President holds the key to the sequestration," she said. Until the administration reveals how the budget cuts will unfold, she said, "it leaves states and the private sector in a period of uncertainty. It's not helpful to our national recovery."
Many of the governors have prepared their own analyses of the impact of the cuts, so the White House report was not entirely a surprise. The impacts range from $8 million in losses this year in South Dakota, according to GOP Governor Dennis Daugaard. In Virginia, McDonnell said the state’s economy could lose as much as $4.2 billion in economic output in five years and 164,000 direct and indirect jobs.
Mark Vitner, managing director and senior economist at Wells Fargo, told governors that the sequestration cuts would have the greatest impact on states with a heavy federal presence, especially Virginia and Maryland. He also named New Mexico, Alabama, Missouri, South Carolina.
Maryland Governor Martin O’Malley, a Democrat who has frequently sparred with Republican McDonnell, aligned with the Virginian in urging the President and Congress to resolve the stalemate.
“On both sides of the Potomac we sit in the middle of a corridor of science and security and this sequester stands to wipe out a lot of hard-fought job gains in Virginia and Maryland,” O’Malley said on CBS’ Face the Nation.
Other governors reacted along party lines, focusing on the President’s proposal to end certain tax breaks as part of the solution. Republican governors including Indiana Governor Mike Pence said that GOP governors had initially understood the package would center solely on spending cuts. Added GOP Governor Scott Walker of Wisconsin: “If you raise taxes, consumers won’t spend.” Democrats such as Vermont Governor Peter Shumlin supported the balanced approach. He said on NBC’s Meet the Press that Republican governor should "speak up, stand up or be part of the problem.”
Follows is a 50-state sampling of budget cuts outlined by the White House for just this year. The entire report can be found at the White House website.
Alabama: $11 million cut in funding for education would put 150 jobs for teachers and aides at risk, and 1,100 kids would be turned away from Head Start programs.
Alaska: $1.8 million cut from programs ensuring clean air and water, and $2.1 million cut from grants for fish and wildlife protections.
Arizona: 10,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would face furloughs, cutting their gross pay by $52.5 million, and 2,570 fewer children will receive vaccines.
Arkansas: $5.9 million in education cuts would put jobs at risk for 80 teachers and aides, and $62,000 from domestic violence services would mean 200 fewer women are helped.
California: 64,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would face furloughs, cutting their gross pay by $399.4 million, and 15,810 fewer children would receive routine vaccines.
Colorado: Public safety programs in law enforcement, courts and victims’ services would be cut by $213,000, and 12,000 civilian Department f Defense employees would be furloughed, cutting $68.5 million in gross pay.
Connecticut: $2 million would cut from programs ensuring clean air and water, and 500 children would be turned away from Head Start programs.
Delaware: $330,000 in cuts for substance abuse treatment would mean 400 fewer addicts get help, and $86,000 in cuts from employment assistance means 3,230 fewer people will get help finding jobs.
District of Columbia: 13,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would face furloughs, cutting their gross pay by about $111.3 million, and $324,000 in cuts to the public health department would mean 8,100 fewer HIV tests administered.
Florida: $2.3 million cut from employment assistance means 78,960 fewer people will get help finding jobs, and 31,000 civilian Department of Defense employees will face furloughs, cutting their gross pay by $183.2 million.
Georgia: $17.5 million cut in education funding means 210 fewer teachers and aides serving students with disabilities, and 2,490 low-income college students would no longer receive financial aid.
Hawaii: 20,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would face furloughs, cutting gross pay by $134.1 million, and $1.3 million would be cut from programs ensuring clean air and water.
Idaho: 200 children would be turned away from Head Start programs, and $33,000 in cuts to domestic violence services means 100 fewer victims will be helped.
Illinois: 3,280 low-income college students would no longer receive financial aid, and 2,700 children would be turned away from Head Start programs.
Indiana: 2,770 fewer children will receive routine vaccinations, and 11,000 civilian Department of Defense employees will face furloughs, cutting $64.4 million in gross pay.
Iowa: $2.4 million would be cut from programs ensuring clean air and water, and $220,000 would be cut from programs that provide meals for seniors.
Kansas: $5.5 million in cuts to education would put 80 teacher and aide jobs at risk, and $322,000 in cuts to job assistance means that 11,130 fewer people will get help finding a job.
Kentucky: 1,710 low-income college students would no longer receive financial aid, and $1 million in cuts to substance abuse prevention and treatment means 1,200 fewer addicts will be admitted to substance abuse programs.
Louisiana: $9.8 million in cuts to education means 120 fewer teachers and aides who teach children with disabilities, and 17,150 fewer people will have access to job placement services.
Maine: $1.4 million would be cut from programs ensuring clean air and water, and 300 children would be turned away from Head Start programs.
Maryland: 46,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would face furloughs, cutting gross pay by $353.7 million, and base operation funding would be cut by about $95 million.
Massachusetts: 580 low-income college students would no longer receive financial aid, and 2,940 children will not receive routine vaccinations.
Michigan: $22 million in cuts to education means 300 teacher and aide jobs are at risk, and 2,300 children will be turned away from Head Start programs.
Minnesota: 2,360 fewer children will receive routine vaccinations, and $113,000 in cuts to domestic violence services means that 400 fewer women will be helped.
Mississippi: 1,600 children will be turned away from Head Start programs, and 1,170 fewer children will receive routine vaccinations.
Missouri: Could lose about $3.7 million in clear air and water funding, and $70 million in operating funds for Army and Air Force bases.
Montana: $1.2 million in grants for fish and wildlife protection could be eliminated, and 1,000 civilian Defense Department workers would be furloughed at a loss of $6.3 million in gross pay.
Nebraska: $121,000 for senior meals would be at risk, as would $3 million in K-12 education funds, the equivalent of 40 teachers.
Nevada: $1.2 million in air and water quality funding would be at risk, as would an estimated $12 million in lost pay for furloughed civilian military employees.
New Hampshire: $2.2 million to help educate disabled children would be cut, as well as $1 million to operate Army bases.
New Jersey: $4.9 million would be cut in funds to ensure clean air and water, as would $11.7 million in elementary and secondary education.
New Mexico: 7,000 civilian Department of Defense workers would be furloughed at a pay loss of $42 million.
New York: $43 million in K-12 funding would be cut, as would $1.4 million to pay for seniors’ meals.
North Carolina: 22,000 civilian defense workers would be furloughed at a loss of $117 million in gross pay, and 2,040 fewer college students would receive financial aid or work study.
North Dakota: $1.1 million in K-12 aid and $1.5 million to educate disabled children would be cut; $223,000 in job search assistance would be eliminated.
Ohio: $6.9 million in environmental funding for clean air and water would be eliminated, and $4.9 million to operate Army and Air Force bases would be cut.
Oklahoma: 24,000 civilian military workers would be furloughed, at a cost of $124 million in lost pay.
Oregon: Almost $3 million in environmental funds for air, water and fish and wildlife would be cut, as well as $10.2 million from elementary and secondary schools.
Pennsylvania: Almost 5,500 fewer college students would receive financial aid or work study, and $849,000 would be cut from meals for senior citizens.
Rhode Island: 5,000 civilian defense employees would be furloughed at a loss of $31.5 million in pay, and $126,000 in job search aid would be cut.
South Carolina: $81 million in operating funds for Army and Air Force bases would be cut, and 11,000 defense workers furloughed. About 1,860 children would not get vaccinations.
South Dakota: $3 million in education funds would be cut and $214,000 to provide meals for seniors.
Tennessee: $2.2 million in clear air and water funds would be eliminated, and 7,000 civilian defense workers would be furloughed at a cost of $37 million in lost pay.
Texas: $233 million in Army base operating funds would be cut, as well as $1.1 million in law enforcement aid.
Utah: 15,000 civilian defense workers would be furloughed, and $2 million in environmental assistance would be cut.
Vermont: $2.5 million in education funds for K-12 and disabled children would be cut, as would $101,000 in job search assistance.
Virginia: 90,000 civilian defense employees would be furloughed at a pay loss of $648 million, and scheduled maintenance of 11 Navy ships at Norfolk would be canceled. Senior meals would be reduced by $1.2 million.
Washington: $3.3 million in environmental funding for clear air and water would be cut. 29,000 civilian military workers would be furloughed at a loss of $173 million in pay.
West Virginia: $5.8 million for K-12 education and another $3.6 million for disabled schoolchildren would be cut. $2 million in clean air and water funding would be eliminated.
Wisconsin: $8.5 million K-12 education funds would be cut, and 900 children would be sent home from Head Start.
Wyoming: 1,000 civilian military employees would face furloughs, cutting their gross pay by $5.2 million, and meals for senior citizens would be cut $205,000.
