Sequestration is throwing children out of the Head Start program, eliminating meals for seniors and forcing government workers to take unpaid leave. While those effects continue, there’s some relief in sight for a less-discussed, sequester-sparked ill: those annoying overdraft fees....
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Photograph by Joshua Roberts/Bloomberg
Repairs are made to the USS Bulkeley as it is docked at the Norfolk Naval Shipyard in Virginia, on Feb. 28, 2013.
Military Credit Union Offers Sequester Relief
Photograph by Matt York/AP Photo
Allen Harding, of Armasight, demonstrates his products on March 12, 2013 at the Border Security Expo in Phoenix. More than 180 companies are exhibiting their security products despite automatic spending cuts that are affecting every federal government agency due to the government sequestration.
Biggest Sequestration Hit: Next Qtr
Most economists project the second quarter will take the biggest hit from the mandated cuts in federal government spending, or sequestration. Economists at Goldman Sachs Group think the worst is yet to come. The topic of how much the economy...
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Photograph via United States Library of Congress
Group photo portrait of author and humorist Mark Twain (a.k.a. Samuel L. Clemens), center, noted American Civil War correspondent and author George Alfred Townsend. left, and David Gray, editor of the Buffalo Courier, right.
Obama: ‘My Demise Exaggerated’
President Barack Obama, 100 days into his second term with a stumbling agenda, assured reporters at the White House today that any conclusions about failure are premature. “If you put it that way, I may as well pack up my...
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Photograph by Marc Rochette/Bloomberg
A Canadian flag flies over the Berens River in Berens River, Manitoba.
Canadian Invasion Not in the Budget
Lawmakers are agreed: We should not invade Canada. Debate over a Senate Democratic proposal to tap “unspent” Afghanistan war funds to cover the cost of halting budget sequestration veered today into the theoretical. Sen. Dick Durbin of Illinois was on...
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Photograph by John Moore/Getty Images
U.S. Office of Air and Marine (OAM) pilot Rob Smith performs a pre-flight check on an Astar B-2 helicopter before flying a patrol along the U.S.-Mexico border on April 11, 2013 in McAllen, Texas. The OAM, which assists U.S. Border Patrol agents from the air in locating undocumented immigrants and drug smugglers, has cut back flights drastically due to federal sequestration budget cuts.
Sequestration Not Coming Out in Wash
Today’s Commerce Department report on orders for durable goods may be providing the first hint that sequestration — or the automatic across-the-board federal spending cuts that took effect in March 1 — is starting to filter into the economy. Bookings...
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Photograph by Joe Raedle/Getty Images
American Airlines passengers wait in line for a flight at Miami International Airport on April 16, 2013 in Miami, Florida.
Free Airport Parking: Lawmakers Enjoy D.C. Perk
The Obama administration has warned that sequestration will lead to long delays for air travelers, but Congressional fliers still have one program that’s under the radar: Free airport parking. “It’s about the only thing we got left,” said Sen. Saxby...
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Photograph by Mark Wilson/Getty Images
The U.S. Army Fife and Drum Corp. during a celebration of the 237th birthday of the U.S. Army on the grounds of George Washington's Mount Vernon in Virginia.
Fairfax County: Sequestration’s Test
If any place in the U.S. feels the sting of federal budget cuts, it’ll be Virginia’s Fairfax County. The home to George Washington’s Mount Vernon and Central Intelligence Agency headquarters is more dependent on the U.S. government than ever. Federal...
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Photograph by Andrew Harrer/Bloomberg
A protester during a demonstration by federal employees outside the Department of Labor, with the Capitol in the background, in Washington, D.C., on March 20, 2013.
Union to Pentagon: Stop Throwing Us Crumbs
The head of a union representing government workers is upset that the Pentagon is planning to furlough employees for 14 days while continuing to spend hundreds of billions of dollars on contracts with private firms. The unpaid leave for the...
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Photograph by Daniel Acker/Bloomberg
A copy of the U.S. Department of the Treasury Internal Revenue Service 1040 Individual Income Tax form for the 2011 tax year belonging to President Barack Obama and his wife, first lady Michelle Obama.
Obama’s Pay Cut (Tax Break)
Talk about a circular transaction. President Barack Obama could be able to claim a tax break for his decision to return 5 percent of his salary to the government. Obama is giving back part of his $400,000 in salary in solidarity with federal...
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Photograph by Michael S. Williamson/The Washington Post via Getty Images
Members of the Montgomery County Council, as well as local activists and members the the Montgomery County Board of Education, took part in a shopping venture to see if they could live on $5.00 a day worth of food on Feb. 4, 2013. They had a $25.00 limit (5-day supply) as part of the SNAP (Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program, the new name for food stamps).
McCain Reverts to Maverick Status in Budget Debate
Sen. John McCain is reverting to maverick status in an attempt to reach a grand bargain to avoid the ongoing sequestration. While most of his fellow Republicans have opposed closing special-interest tax loopholes, preferring to cut food stamps instead, McCain, an Arizona Republican,...
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Contributors
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Al Hunt
is a columnist for Bloomberg View and host of the weekly show "Political Capital with Al Hunt" on Bloomberg TV. -
Mark Silva
is deputy managing editor for government news in Washington and editor of Political Capital. He has covered the White House and national politics. -
Emma Fidel
is political editor for Bloomberg.com in Washington. She previously covered financial regulation as a Bloomberg intern. -
Don Frederick
edits political and government coverage for Bloomberg News. He previously worked for more than a decade at the Los Angeles Times' Washington bureau. -
Gregory Giroux
analyzes elections, financing of congressional and presidential elections, political advertising and demographics in Bloomberg's Washington Bureau. -
Julie Bykowicz
covers the influence of money and lobbying in Washington, and covered the state legislature and city crime for the Baltimore Sun for 10 years. -
Jonathan Salant
covers campaign finance and lobbying in Washington. He was president of the National Press Club and started in Washington in 1987. -
Richard Rubin
covers federal tax policy. He worked at Congressional Quarterly and The Charlotte Observer before joining Bloomberg News in 2010. -
Julie Hirschfeld Davis
is a senior political reporter for the Washington Bureau. She covered the 2012 campaign for Bloomberg News and previously covered the White House for the Baltimore Sun. -
Lisa Lerer
covers the White House and covered the 2012 campaign for Bloomberg News. She covered Congress, lobbying and the 2008 campaign for Politico. -
John McCormick
is a national political reporter looking forward to the 2016 presidential campaign, which will be the fifth he's covered. He's also reported for The Des Moines Register and Chicago Tribune. -
Julianna Goldman
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. -
Hans Nichols
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and Bloomberg Television. -
Margaret Talev
covers the White House for Bloomberg News and covered the White House for McClatchy Newspapers. She has covered California and Florida politics. -
Cary O'Reilly
is Editor at Large at Bloomberg First Word and is Washington Daybook columnist for Bloomberg Government and Bloomberg News.
