White House Details NH Sequester Cuts

The White House has issued a state-by-state impact report of sequestration – the automatic cuts possible by March 1 – that includes 1,000 civilian Defense Department employees furloughed and a loss of $1 million for teachers and schools in New Hampshire.

This comes as President Obama and Republican leaders in Congress try to resolve differences in ways to cut the deficit and, possibly, agree to various revenue scenarios.

Gov. Maggie Hassan, in Washington for various governors' association meetings, touted the president's proposal to resolve the nation's latest fiscal crisis. A resolution must be at hand because, as she told HuffPost, the sequester "is going to stop our economic recovery in its tracks."

The same news report characterized the $85 billion in across-the-board spending cuts as increasingly likely.

House Speaker John Boehner and other Republicans, including U.S. Sen. Kelly Ayotte (R-NH), see the White House moving to rely more on tax increases to avert the sequester.

The new White House report (attached here as a PDF) includes the following as produced by the White House:

• Teachers and Schools: New Hampshire will lose approximately $1,078,000 in funding for primary and secondary education, putting teacher and aide jobs at risk. In addition about 1,000 fewer students would be served and approximately 10 fewer schools would receive funding.
• Education for Children with Disabilities: In addition, New Hampshire will lose approximately $2.2 million in funds for about 30 teachers, aides, and staff who help children with disabilities.
• Protections for Clean Air and Clean Water: New Hampshire would lose about $1,500,000 in environmental funding to ensure clean water and air quality, as well as prevent pollution from pesticides and hazardous waste. In addition, New Hampshire could lose another $359,000 in grants for fish and wildlife protection.
• Military Readiness: In New Hampshire, approximately 1,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing gross pay by around $5.4 million in total.
• Army: Base operation funding would be cut by about $1 million in New Hampshire.
• Law Enforcement and Public Safety Funds for Crime Prevention and Prosecution: New Hampshire will lose about $71,000 in Justice Assistance Grants that support law enforcement, prosecution and courts, crime prevention and education, corrections and community corrections, drug treatment and enforcement, and crime victim and witness initiatives.
• Public Health: New Hampshire will lose approximately $126,000 in funds to help upgrade its ability to respond to public health threats including infectious diseases, natural disasters, and biological, chemical, nuclear, and radiological events. In addition, New Hampshire will lose about $330,000 in grants to help prevent and treat substance abuse, resulting in around 300 fewer admissions to substance abuse programs. And the New Hampshire State Department of Health Statistics and Data Management will lose about $60,000 resulting in around 1,500 fewer HIV tests.
• STOP Violence Against Women Program: New Hampshire could lose up to $28,000 in funds that provide services to victims of domestic violence, resulting in up to 100 fewer victims being served.