RI Would Lose $40M in Federal Cuts
A report released Sunday by Obama administration details extreme cuts to education and military spending the state would see if the federal government fails to prevent sequester.
Rhode Island would see nearly $40 million in federal funds cut from several programs if Congress fails to act this week to avoid sequester — an $85 billion federal spending cut, the Obama administration said Sunday.
In a move designed to pressure Republicans into accepting new revenues as part of a deal to prevent the sequester from taking effect on Friday, the White House released reports that outlined how those cuts would impact individual states, The Huffington Post reported.
In Rhode Island, education and military spending would take the greatest hit, the report reads. The state would lose $2.4 million in funding for primary and secondary education, putting around 30 teacher and teacher aide jobs at risk. Rhode Island also would lose about $2.1 million in funds for about 120 teachers, aides and staff who help children with disabilities, the White House said.
The largest single cut would be to military spending. In Rhode Island, about 5,000 civilian employees of the Department of Defense would be furloughed, reducing gross pay by around $31.5 million. In addition, Army base operation funding would be cut by about $1 million.
The report detailed other programs and services on the chopping block in Rhode Island, including:
- About 340 fewer low income students in Rhode Island would receive aid to help them finance the costs of college and around 280 fewer students will get work-study jobs that help them pay for college
- Head Start and Early Head Start services would be eliminated for approximately 200 children, reducing access to critical early education.
- Rhode Island would lose about $1.2 million in environmental funding to ensure clean water and air quality, as well as prevent pollution from pesticides and hazardous waste. In addition, the state would lose another $359,000 in grants for fish and wildlife protection.
- Rhode Island would lose about $68,000 in Justice Assistance Grants that support law enforcement, prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, and crime victim and witness initiatives.
- The state would lose about $126,000 in funding for job search assistance, referral, and placement, meaning around 4,550 fewer people will get the help and skills they need to find employment.
- In Rhode Island, around 530 fewer children will receive vaccines for diseases such as measles, mumps, rubella, tetanus, whooping cough, influenza and Hepatitis B due to reduced funding for vaccinations of about $36,000.
- Rhode Island would lose $101,000 to help upgrade its ability to respond to public health threats including infectious diseases and natural disasters.
- The state would lose about $330,000 in grants to help prevent and treat substance abuse, resulting in around 400 fewer admissions to substance abuse programs. The Rhode Island Department of Health would lose about $61,000 resulting in around 1,500 fewer HIV tests.
- Rhode Island would lose $188,000 in funds that provide meals for seniors.
- Rhode Island could lose up to $22,000 in funds that provide services to victims of domestic violence, resulting in up to 100 fewer victims being served
After the reports were released, congressional Republicans criticized the Obama administration for the PR move, The Huffington Post reported.
“Rather than issuing last-minute press releases on cuts to first responders or troop training or airport security, he should propose smarter ways to cut Washington spending. After all, Washington spending, even with the sequester, is bigger than it was when he got here,” Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell (R-KY) said."If I was the governor of the Commonwealth of Virginia, I'd probably be freaked out," Walker told the Journal Sentinel, referring to that state's huge defense presence. "But we don't have big military bases (and) our military contractors have already started to account for this."
Unless Congress intervenes, the law requires the Obama administration to impose $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts to military and domestic programs on Friday, according to The New York Times. Those cuts would be the start of $1 trillion in cuts over the next decade.
DanComment
8:34 pm on Monday, February 25, 2013
Mr. Useless president - clearly doesn't know what he wants....http://news.yahoo.com/video/president-obama-campaigning-against-own-191545804.html
Manifold Witness
11:05 am on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Mr. Obama says these are “some examples of the impacts on Rhode Island this year alone”.
Mr. Obama thinks $40,000,000 buys all this in RI:
$31,500,000 is gross pay for 5,000 DOD civilian employees.
$2,400,000 – 30 teachers & aides.
$2,100,000 – 20 teachers, aides, staff.
$800,000 funds Army base operations.
$1,253,000 in environmental funding ensures clean water & air quality, and prevents pollution from pesticides & hazardous waste.
$359,000 in grants protects fish & wildlife.
$68,000 supports law enforcement, prosecution & courts, crime prevention & education, corrections & community corrections, drug treatment & enforcement, & crime victim & witness initiatives.
$126,000 funding for job search assistance, referral, and placement for 4,550 people
to get the help & skills they need to find employment.
$36,000 provides vaccines to 530 children.
$101,000 upgrades responses to public health threats including infectious diseases & natural disasters.
$330,000 prevents & treats substance abuse for 400 people.
$61,000 - 1500 HIV tests.
$188,000 - meals for seniors.
$22,000 - services to 100 domestic violence victims.
$656,000- 340 students go to college. 280 work-study jobs. 200 children get Head Start & Early Head Start services. 100 disadvantaged vulnerable kids get child care. 3,000 more students served,10 more schools get funding.
$40,000,000 doesn't buy all that. This we know.
The annual budget tells us so.
Manifold Witness
11:16 am on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
As of 2009, RI had 4372 DOD civilian employees.
Total gross wages - $239,745,000.00.
How does the math work on this?
Lorraine F
11:43 am on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Thanks Manifold for the data.
Where on earth do you find this stuff?
Someday, we will all learn that prolonged systemic deficit spending is akin to declaring war on ourselves.
Jack Baillargeron
11:16 am on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Having read the report, it is the biggest bunch of you know what. None of this would happen and none of this has ever happened when the Government has shut down things. Use to just be called (Government Shut Down).
Just more scare tactics from the current administration as usual, who think people are ignorant. Never has a single program or employee lost money on any Government shut down they have had in the last 60 years.
Why you may ask? Because they do it at the beginning of the pay period and never go past that 2 week pay period so there is no lose in pay for all this scare tactics. Also all essential services continue to run period. These numbers are lies plain and simple.
All these entities especially the Defense Department have their budget in place already till October the end of the fiscal year, they will not have money lost nor will any other entity until then. Those are the facts. I know because I was working for the Federal Government at one point or another, during every shut down that happened between 1974 and 2006. So there!!! lol.
Jack Baillargeron
11:17 am on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
The main problem with this administration letter is that it is nothing more than a propaganda campaign to brainwash people into thinking they are saviors of some kind, by lying though their teeth about something that will never happen in any way shape of form on this Sequester poop thing that Obama created plain and simple. It was his idea and no-one else is to blame for such a stupid idea but his administration.
This type of political game has been played many times and has never worked and never will in my opinion. Same old football game different players is all.
Jack Baillargeron
12:00 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Your right Manifold. We should be concerned about why they are not cutting all those things.
steve primiano
12:40 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
I have been trying to learn more about what is actually being "cut." There is much confusing and contradictory information out there.
As near as I can tell, these "cuts" are not cuts in current spending (they rerely are), but reduce the amount spending would increase without them. One chart I looked at shows huge increases in spending and debt even with sequestration.
Unfortunately the cuts are targeted so some areas (defense) bear a disproportionate amount of the reduction. Sequestration was never intended to take effect, but to force more balanced deficit reduction.
What business or household could not survive a 2% to 3% cut in revenue? The federal government could do this across the board and no one would notice. Of course, that would still not be enough to reduce our (and our children's) deficit, but it would be a start.
Jack Baillargeron
1:21 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
This is not rocket science folks. (no effence to anyone)
Actually there are no cuts at all. The 2012 fiscal year ends sept 30, 2013. This so called "sequesto"r or the old name, "government shut down", would have to go until then before any funds would not be available. The funds approved last year for the fiscal year are all ready in the pipeline to fund until the end of the fiscal year.
That is why this is all smoke and mirrors and fear mongering by the Administration and some on both sides. I really wish the media would explain it with actual facts on how it works. It amazes me that people could possibly think the Government stops working on a day by day basis due to lack of funds. Think of it this way, If people payed their taxes in 2011that is the money used until the end of the 2012 fiscal year ending in 2013. Not to mention the funds borrowed allready to make up for any shortfalls in that fiscal year.
Also a continuing resolution, because they have no passed a real budget since April 2009, is being used everytime since then. People need to understand this all means nothing except political posturing to gain votes. Nothing happens to effect any program period. This is about the mid-term elections in 2014 and nothing else. Except for the love of this Administrations "lets scare the people with propaganda poop"
Jack Baillargeron
1:24 pm on Tuesday, February 26, 2013
Also take note that since this Administration has held office, even when they had majorities in both houses, that have not passed a budget period. It is all a game to them with out a care for the taxpayers.