So, the President has taken to the road, campaigning to put pressure on Congress to stop the sequestration he started. Congressional leaders are frustrated because he's leaving town rather than discussing the budget, and they fear the American public will turn on them completely while the President and Mrs. Obama are out among the people, bolstering their public approval numbers.
But the situation that's not so pretty is as US Senator Rand Paul of Kentucky said on cable TV Monday, "If we can't make this 2.3 percent cut in the projected increase of next year's budget, I'm not sure we can ever turn this things around."
Here's some sequestration facts:
In Fiscal Year 2013, The Cuts That Result From Sequestration - $85 Billion - Would Equate To A 2.3 Percent Cut To The Federal Government’s Overall Budget, Or 2.3 Cents On Every Dollar That The Government Spends This Year. (Doug Elmendorf, “Looming Policy Decisions May Have A Substantial Effect On The Budget Outlook,” Congressional Budget Office, 2/6/13; “The Budget And Economic Outlook: Fiscal Years 2013 To 2023,” Congressional Budget Office, 2/5/13)
$85 Billion is negligible compared to the Obama Administration's disastrous national debt
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0.5%: |
Size Of Sequestration Relative To Current National Debt ($16,608,318,357,376.54). (U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 2/25/13) |
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2: |
Years That Allowing Sequestration To Take Place Would Delay Federal Debt Reaching 100% Of GDP. (Bipartisan Policy Center, 6/8/12) |
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3.3%: |
Size Of Sequestration Relative To True Cost Of ObamaCare Once Fully Implemented ($2,600,000,000,000). (Office Of The Speaker Of The U.S. House Of Representatives, Report, 1/6/11) |
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4.9%: |
Size Of Sequestration Relative To Annual Cost Of Federal Regulations ($1,752,000,000,000). (Small Business Administration, September 2010) |
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5.7%: |
Size Of Sequestration Relative To What Obama Has Added To The National Debt Every Year ($1,495,360,327,115.87). (U.S. Treasury Department, Accessed 2/25/13) |
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6%: |
Amount By Which Allowing Sequestration To Go Through Would Decrease The FY2013 Deficit. (CBO, 2/5/13) |
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6%: |
Size Of Sequestration Relative To Obama’s Federal Budget Deficit For FY2009 – Highest In U.S. History. (CBO, 11/7/11) |
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6.5%: |
Size Of Sequestration Relative To Obama’s Federal Budget Deficit For FY2011 – Second Highest In U.S. History. (CBO, 11/7/11) |
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6.6%: |
Size Of Sequestration Relative To Obama’s Federal Budget Deficit For FY2010 – Third Highest In U.S. History. (CBO, 11/7/11) |
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7.8%: |
Size Of Sequestration Relative To Obama’s Federal Budget Deficit For FY2012 – Fourth Highest In U.S. History. (CBO, 2/5/13) |
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10.1%: |
Size Of Sequestration Relative To Obama’s Projected Federal Budget Deficit For FY 2013 – Fifth Highest In U.S. History. (CBO, 2/5/13) |
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10.2%: |
Size Of Sequestration Relative To Total Price Tag Of Obama’s First Failed Stimulus ($830 Billion). (CBO, 2/21/13) |
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16.4%: |
Size Of Sequestration Relative To Amount Of Regulatory Burden Since Obama Took Office ($518,000,000,000). (American Action Forum, 1/14/13) |
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18%: |
Size Of Sequestration Relative To The Projected Cost Of The Gross Interest On The U.S. Debt In 2013 ($400,900,000,000). (Office Of Management And Budget, 2/25/13) |
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27%: |
Size Of Sequestration Relative To U.S. Trade Deficit With China In 2012 ($315,053,500,000). (U.S. Census Bureau, Accessed 2/25/13) |
