Politics & Government

Report: Sequester Hurt Contra Costa County's Poor Most

by Alex Gronke

Remember the sequester? That's the 10-year, $1.2 trillion, across-the-board federal spending cut set up as a doomsday scenario aimed at forcing Republicans and Democrats to reach a deal after the debt limit showdown of 2012. There was no bargain, and in 2013 the first $85 billion disappeared from the federal budget. 

With $100 billion slated to be cut in 2014, Rep. George Miller released a report Thursday attempting to show what the sequester means for residents of Contra Costa County. Citing the work of economists and the non-partisan Congressional Budget Office, Rep. Miller claims that the sequester is a drag on GDP, and offers specific consequences to poor people in Contra Costa County:

  • $46 million less in funding to Medicare providers.
  • 600 children in Head Start are facing a nine-week reduction in the school year.
  • Meals on Wheels of Contra Costa County is serving 200 fewer meals per day.
  • 50 fewer young adults received workforce experience through subsidized summer jobs for youth.
  • 137 homeless individuals, or 50 families lose access to emergency shelter housing.
  • 512 fewer families are provided affordable housing units.
  • 6,800 families face steep increases in their monthly housing payments.
  • Tens of thousands of families who qualify for affordable housing vouchers will continue to go without rental assistance.
  • 25 fewer out-of-work seniors are able to receive on the job training and skills.
Meanwhile, some conservative economists and Republican legislators have claimed the sequester has failed to produce the havoc Democrats and President Obama warned would befall the economy if the caps became law. Other Republican lawmakers now regard the sequester as sound economic policy, and not up for negotiation when Congress tries again to craft a long-term spending agreement. 


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