How the sequester will hit Texas

 

The White House last night began releasing state-by-state reports detailing how the sequester will unroll (it's worth noting some Republicans are already challenging some of the state-specific numbers). According to the Texas fact sheet, here's some of what we can expect to happen this year in the Lone Star State unless Congress intervenes to stop the $85 billion in automatic spending cuts set for March 1:

• Children: Nearly 10,000 kids wont get vaccinations, and about 2,300 would be left without child care. On the education front, nearly 5,000 kids will lose access to Head Start and schools are slated to lose some $68 million in education funding, putting nearly a thousand teacher and aid jobs at risk.
• Military: The White House report says the sequester would furlough 52,000 civilian Defense Department employees in Texas. A recent Pew Charitable Trust study puts the total jobs lost due to military cuts around 90,000. The state's Army and Air Force bases, meanwhile, stand to receive a collective $260 million in cuts.
• College: Some 5,000 low-income students in the state would lose federal aid to help fund higher education. About 1,500 Texas students would no longer have access to work-study jobs.
• Environment: Texas stands to lose about $8.5 million in funding to ensure clean water and air funding, as well as $2.2 million in grants for fish and wildlife protection.

– Michael Barajas   

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