Congress Still Dysfunctional As Spending Cuts Loom

In nine days, automatic spending cuts known as a “sequester” will be enacted, forcing the government to cut back on $85 Billion in spending. The only problem is that Congress is on vacation at the moment. Democrats are blaming the Republicans for ignoring the looming deadline and calling for them to return early.

“This is an unnecessary self-inflicted wound on the United States economy. Congress should come back to Washington to fix the problem,” said Rep. Rob Andrews (D-N.J.), whose district is home to several government contracting firms.

The “sequester” goes into effect because of the Budget Control Act of 2011. Besides the general hit to the economy, any industry that depends on federal funding, including scientific research and the  Federal Aviation Administration, will be hit hard. People will lose jobs and an already recessed economy will take another major blow.

It’s difficult to discern the difference between Congress in session and Congress on vacation, since nothing of substance gets done either way. It should be hard for anyone to take the Democrats finger-pointing seriously, since last minute deadlines, i.e. debt ceiling and fiscal cliff disasters, have become common place in American politics. SJS recently published an article called “Congress Is Failing You.” Even though the fiscal cliff was averted since then, there is no indication that any of the issues discussed are going away anytime soon.