Sequester: No one wants it, but no one’s stopping it

By J.T. Rushing, correspondent

WASHINGTON - There is a rare, common thread among Democrats and Republicans between Iowa and Washington about the federal spending cuts that took effect Friday: No one wanted it to happen, but no one expects anything to happen immediately, either.

In the meantime, cutbacks are on the horizon for local school districts, universities, airports, military bases and a variety of other locations where Iowans may soon feel the sting of Washington's “sequestration.”

But few will feel it happen right away, and many are hopeful that the harshest effects can be fixed.

“For most Iowans, although they're generally aware of this thing called sequestration, for most of them it's something vague and remote, and it's not until they start to see the impact on their personal lives that it's going to be something tangible,” said Rep. Bruce Braley, D-Iowa.

Failed deal

Sequestration is the cumbersome word for a deal worked out between President Barack Obama and congressional Republicans in 2011 that set in motion a series of automatic federal spending cuts if Democrats and Republicans could not agree on how to reduce the federal deficit.

That never happened.

The statewide practical effect, as estimated by the White House, is that Iowa will lose $6.4 million in primary and secondary education, with about 7,000 fewer students served.

There are additional cuts coming to federal programs such as Head Start, as well as a wide variety of services involving education, environmental and public health programs aimed at everyone from children to the elderly.

Gov. Terry Branstad last week told Iowans that the biggest effects will be in the state's National Guard and Workforce Development workforces, but he added that state government officials “have no clue” about the overall impact.

The good news: Like the farm bill and the recent “fiscal cliff,” the effects won't be immediate, and they could still be addressed retroactively.

Eastern Iowa plans

In Cedar Rapids, cuts to primary and secondary K-12 education are on a fairly long leash - those won't take effect until the summer, meaning they won't impact the current school year - but they will affect hiring decisions for teachers and other staff, many of which are taking place currently.

At the Cedar Rapids Community School District, business services executive director Steve Graham said school officials don't know any specifics, either. He told the district's school boad last week that district officials simply don't know what to expect.

“We've heard 8 percent to 10 percent cuts across-the-board, but there's nothing specific,” Graham said. “We really don't know specifics until we know.”

At The Eastern Iowa Airport, director Tim Bradshaw said the facility is in good shape to weather any effects from federal funding cuts to the Federal Aviation Administration or the federal Transportation Security Administration.

That's because the airport automated its baggage-handling system at the beginning of the year, freeing up TSA employees who could be used to bolster the ranks of security screeners.

Bradshaw also said the FAA has not notified his airport of any likely issues involving air traffic controllers.

“We don't anticipate any real disruptions in service, initially,” Bradshaw said. “We're probably in better shape than others. But coming back to Cedar Rapids, people could have some issues with larger airports, getting through security. ”

At Eastern Iowa's far eastern edge, the Rock Island Arsenal Army base employs 4,500 permanent civilian employees who could be affected by a furlough. But Garrison Public Affairs Officer Eric Cramer said furloughs likely won't be issued for at least a month because of notice requirements. That also would change if Congress comes up with a retroactive solution later this month.

At Rockwell Collins, spokeswoman Pam Tvrdy-Cleary said the company has been expecting the situation.

Tvrdy-Cleary said the company factored in this possibility as part of its 2013 fiscal plans, forecasting that the company would be down by about 10 percent this year. That could include 350 eventual layoffs.

Impact felt soon

Beyond Cedar Rapids, what is the practical effect on the average Eastern Iowan?

Most in Iowa and Washington say not to expect anything new - but that change could be coming this month, as the cuts take hold.

“I've never said that on March 1 we'll fall off a cliff,” said Sen. Tom Harkin, D-Iowa. “The world is not going to end on March first or second. But it will start to build up.”

Like Harkin, Sen. Chuck Grassley, R-Iowa, said no effect will be really felt until April, when the cuts start to bite.

But at first, Grassley said hospitals should expect a 2 percent reduction in federal Medicare funding, although he said he didn't want it to happen, either.

“There's not a member of Congress who thinks sequestration is the right thing to do,” Grassley said.