Sequestration Looming Over Federal Agencies

In July 2011, after a months-long partisan stand-off and just a few hours before the United States Treasury exhausted the borrowing authority of the country, the United States Congress raised the authorized level of debt by about $900 billion in exchange for $917 billion in cuts to future budgets. Those cuts would be agreed to by the so-named “Super Committee”. The failure of the Super Committee to find common areas of reduction would then trigger a $1.2 trillion dollar sequestration from defense and non-defense programs. In late 2011, the Super Committee failed, and the cuts are scheduled to happen on January 1, 2013.

Unsurprisingly, these large cuts are now the subject of intense debate. Recorded Future proves to be an ideal place to monitor the discussion. The sequestration is being described as somewhere between “vital” and “devastating”, with just about every Federal Agency being affected by them. Decision makers are raising their voices for their agency to be spared, while political officials facing November elections toe the line between deficit hawks and recipients of government services. Track all the discussion here: