There's been plenty of back and forth regarding the upcoming major budget cuts (known as "the sequester") that will hit the federal government this Friday, and it's getting more intense as the March 1 deadline beckons.
Today, the Obama administration released a breakdown on how the sequestration would affect Florida, and the list is considerable.
In a press release sent out this afternoon, Florida Democratic Senator Bill Nelson said that Congress should pass the $110 billion plan Democrats "put on the table last week" to avert the impending mandatory budget cuts.
But Republicans as a whole say that Obama and the Dems are crying wolf, and that the cuts won't be nearly that bad. Today Governor Rick Scott blasted the president (and to a lesser extent Congress) for failing to come up with a deal by now, and listed some services and programs he fears will be hurt if the cuts go through.
“Sequestration means the Obama Administration and Congress failed to do their job to manage the budget. As thousands of Floridians lose their jobs, the Obama Administration and Congress are getting paid for not doing theirs. That’s just wrong," Scott said.
The governor also worried about the impact of cuts in military spending. Scott said, “The impacts on Florida’s military installations and defense industries will be severe under the meat hammer of sequestration. Our immediate concerns include dramatic reductions to our National Guard, which threatens our ability to respond to wildfires this spring and hurricanes this summer."
Keep reading for a complete list of what the Obama administration says will be cut in Florida …
This article appears in Feb 21-27, 2013.