sequestration
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In a Defense Department briefing Wednesday, Army Chief of Staff Gen. Raymond Odierno said service officials are closely examining the issue of women in infantry and armor ranks. Oiderno also said sequestration would thwart the Pentagon's existing plan for a streamlined force.
May 16, 2012 -
Hours after a key House committee voted to give the Pentagon more money than it asked for in next year's budget, Defense Secretary Leon Panetta said thanks, but no thanks. Panetta warned passing a $3 billion increase would set a showdown with the Senate and force sequestration to happen.
May 11, 2012 -
The GOP-controlled House passed legislation Thursday requiring federal workers to contribute more toward their retirement. The Sequester Replacement Act of 2012 proposed gradually increasing federal employees' pension contributions by 5 percent over five years as an alternative to sequestration.
May 10, 2012 -
Budget analyst Steve Bell says there is "no chance" Congress will be able to pass a plan to avoid sequestration — the automatic, across-the-board cuts that would go into effect Jan. 2, 2013, as part of last summer's deficit deal.
May 10, 2012 -
The White House has declared the Department of Veterans Affairs off-limits to "sequestration" budget cuts, and that means other nondefense agencies may have to bear an additional $4.6 billion in reductions next year.
May 10, 2012 -
A plan to avoid automatic cuts to discretionary federal spending, including the Defense Department's, advanced in the House, passing the budget committee and heading to the House floor for a vote later this week. Among the $300 billion in alternative cuts approved by the committee, in a 21-9 party-line vote, is a provision requiring federal employees to pay more for their retirement benefits.
May 07, 2012 -
Professional Services Council President and CEO Stan Soloway will talk contracting with host Mark Amtower. May 7, 2012
May 07, 2012 -
Agencies could see a budget cut of 12.1 percent starting Jan. 2, 2013, if Congress does not come up with an alternative to sequestration. The estimated reduction comes from a new report by the Congressional Research Service.
May 02, 2012 -
A top official at the Office of Management and Budget said it's "premature" to begin planning for the automatic, across-the-board cuts that will go into effect Jan. 2, 2013, if Congress cannot reach a deal to reduce the deficit by $1.2 trillion over the next decade.
April 25, 2012 -
The Veterans Affairs Department should be exempt from the automatic across-the-board cuts — or sequestration — laid out in last summer's Budget Control Act, according to an April 23 letter from the Office of Management and Budget.
April 24, 2012 -
Navy and Marine Corps officials are upbeat about how they'll fare under the current round of budget cuts. Navy Department officials said the strategy DoD developed following the passage of the Budget Control Act aligns perfectly with the capabilities of the maritime services.
April 19, 2012 -
Congress returns to session this week with a few short months to reach a budget resolution for the new fiscal year starting Oct. 1 and agree on how to avoid the automatic spending cuts of $1.2 trillion over the next decade that will be triggered Jan. 2, 2013, under the Budget Control Act debt limit deal. But don't expect much to get accomplished before the election, say budget experts.
April 16, 2012 -
BCA does not specify how those cuts would be implemented. One interpretation is every program is cut by the same amount, which would be by about 13 percent. The other interpretation of the act is the overall spending would have to be reduced by 13 percent and the Pentagon could pick and choose the programs to cut, said Kevin Brancato, a defense analyst for Bloomberg Government.
April 12, 2012 -
Issues related to federal employees and their pay and benefits have played a starring role in the competing budget proposals introduced by the White House and lawmakers alike. Find highlights from how the proposed budgets would affect federal employees as well as how they've fared so far in Congress
April 04, 2012 -
Sequestration would kill hundreds of thousands of defense industry jobs, the Pentagon warns. Frank Kendall told senators during his nomination hearing to be the DoD acquisition chief that personnel accounts would be shielded so lower-tiered contractors would feel the brunt of cuts.
March 30, 2012