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The Sequester: Cuts And Consequences A look at the consequences of the across-the-board federal spending cuts set to go into effect March 1.
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The Sequester: Cuts And Consequences

A look at the consequences of the across-the-board federal spending cuts set for March 1.
Sequester Has Air Force Clipping Its Wings

To save money, Seymour Johnson Air Force Base in North Carolina is keeping some of its pilots out of the sky. Airman 1st Class Aubrey White/U.S. Air Force hide caption

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Airman 1st Class Aubrey White/U.S. Air Force

Sequester Has Air Force Clipping Its Wings

Automatic budget cuts have pushed Air Force bases to slash their flying budgets even though it means grounding pilots and reducing readiness. The cancellations are boosting the arguments of those who want the military excepted from sequestration cuts.

Sequester Has Air Force Clipping Its Wings

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Sequester Puts Some Needing Housing Aid 'Back To Square One'

Housing authorities across the country have all but stopped issuing rent vouchers as they try to deal with across-the-board spending cuts. Many newly issued vouchers have been rescinded, leaving some people homeless or doubled up with family and friends.

Sequester Puts Some Needing Housing Aid 'Back To Square One'

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Congress Acts On Flight Delays, What's Next?

It appears Congress decided not to leave town while airport delays pile up. The Senate miraculously approved a measure to restore funding for air traffic controllers, and the House followed suit on Friday. Considering this turn of events, could other sequester interventions be in the offing?

Congress Acts On Flight Delays, What's Next?

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Flight Delays Prompt End To Air Traffic Controller Furloughs

Following a week of complaints about sequester-caused flight delays, Congress quickly pushed through a bill letting the FAA shift around its budget to end furloughs for air traffic controllers.

Flight Delays Prompt End To Air Traffic Controller Furloughs

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Flight Delays Push Congress To End Controller Furloughs

Travelers stand in line at Los Angeles International Airport on Monday. Congress moved quickly this week to give the Federal Aviation Administration flexibility to end air traffic controller furloughs that resulted in flight delays at several airports. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption

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Damian Dovarganes/AP

Flight Delays Push Congress To End Controller Furloughs

Delays at the nation's airports surged this week because the Federal Aviation Administration furloughed air traffic controllers to stay within a reduced budget. Now Congress has voted quickly to give the FAA more spending flexibility to reduce staff cutbacks.

FAA Expected To Gain Flexibility On Budget Cuts

The Senate has passed a bill to give the Department of Transportation more flexibility in how it makes the mandatory cuts of the sequester. Hundreds of flights were delayed this week after the FAA furloughed air traffic controllers, setting off a political storm.

FAA Expected To Gain Flexibility On Budget Cuts

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Should Air Traffic Controllers Be Included In Furloughs?

As air travelers grumble about delayed flights, congressional Republicans have a new talking point: It's all President Obama's fault. They argue that he could make cuts in less critical parts of the FAA budget, but wants to inconvenience the public to force Congress to undo sequestration.

Should Air Traffic Controllers Be Included In Furloughs?

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Airport Delays Raise Questions About Controller Furloughs

Passengers check their flight status at Los Angeles International airport on Monday. The FAA said staffing cuts were causing delays in the Eastern U.S. Damian Dovarganes/AP hide caption

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Damian Dovarganes/AP

Airport Delays Raise Questions About Controller Furloughs

Some travelers faced delays Monday as furloughs of air traffic controllers began taking effect. Thanks to mandated federal budget cuts, the furloughs can't be avoided, the Federal Aviation Administration says. But critics want the Obama administration to cut some other part of the budget instead.

FAA Warns Of Airport Delays As Sequester Cuts Take Hold

The Federal Aviation Administration reported some air traffic delays on Monday. The agency says the sequester has forced it to cut the work hours of air traffic controllers by 10 percent and it's warning air travelers to expect delays as a result.

FAA Warns Of Airport Delays As Sequester Cuts Take Hold

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Worst-Case Avoided: Few Airports Link Delays To FAA Furloughs

An American Airlines passenger is helped at the ticket counter at Miami International Airport last week. Many airline industry observers expect delays to strike Monday, the first full day of FAA furloughs. Joe Raedle/Getty Images hide caption

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Joe Raedle/Getty Images

The Two-Way

Worst-Case Avoided: Few Airports Link Delays To FAA Furloughs

Impact from the furloughs has been neither extreme nor widespread, with busy airports in Chicago, Atlanta, and Los Angeles reporting no or few delays as of early Monday afternoon. New York's three big airports experienced delays, but the longest holdups were blamed on high winds and maintenance work.

Sequester And Budget Add Up To Education Confusion

Host Michel Martin talks with NPR education correspondent Claudio Sanchez about how the competing forces of sequestration and the president's budget proposal are affecting schools.

Sequester And Budget Add Up To Education Confusion

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U.S. Budget Cuts Hit Maine's Acadia National Park

Acadia National Park draws thousands of visitors every year and contributed $186 million to the state's economy in 2011 alone. But under sequestration cuts, the park is closing roads for an additional month and cutting back staff and programming, leaving area business owners nervous about the 2013 summer season.

U.S. Budget Cuts Hit Maine's Acadia National Park

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Some Public Defenders Warn: 'We Have Nothing Left To Cut'

Around the country, budget cuts are bringing some federal public defenders to the breaking point. "We can't not pay the rent, and ... everything else is personnel. We can't send a computer to court," says Washington, D.C., public defender A.J. Kramer.

Some Public Defenders Warn: 'We Have Nothing Left To Cut'

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Sequester Uncertainty Surrounds Section 8 Housing Program

Members of the American Federation of Government Employees protest mandatory federal budget cuts during a rally March 20 in Washington, D.C. Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images hide caption

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Brendan Smialowski/AFP/Getty Images

It's All Politics

Sequester Uncertainty Surrounds Section 8 Housing Program

For agencies administering the low-income housing program, mandated federal budget cuts are forcing cutbacks on several fronts. But some of the belt tightening is yet to come.

Searching For The Sequester In The Middle Of Ohio

In Columbus, Ohio, signs of the sequester were hard to find. Kiichiro Sato/AP hide caption

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Kiichiro Sato/AP

It's All Politics

Searching For The Sequester In The Middle Of Ohio

It's only been about a month since across-the-board federal spending cuts kicked in, but real, tangible, quantifiable signs of the sequester are proving hard to find so far. Politically, that means — for now, at least — there's not much pressure for Congress to undo or modify it.

Searching For The Sequester In The Middle Of Ohio

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Sequester Pinches Long-Term Unemployed Even More

A crowd of jobseekers attends a health care job fair on Thursday in New York. Mark Lennihan/AP hide caption

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Mark Lennihan/AP

Sequester Pinches Long-Term Unemployed Even More

Almost 5 million Americans have been searching for work for at least six months. This week, their plight is getting a bit tougher as the government cuts their unemployment benefits — part of the automatic reductions in federal spending that took effect recently.

Sequester Pinches Long-Term Unemployed Even More

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Despite Sequester, Aviation Companies Expand In North Carolina

The forced budget cuts known as the "sequester" have not yet started to trickle down to the local level. But that hasn't stopped politicians from talking about what those cuts will mean. But business leaders in a city with strong aviation ties aren't looking at only the conversations in Washington as they plan their futures.

Despite Sequester, Aviation Companies Expand In North Carolina

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Sequester Scorecard: A Month Later, Effects Still Up In Air

The U.S. Navy's Blue Angels soar over the Florida Keys during a March 23 air show. The group has canceled several air shows in April and May, reportedly owing to budget cuts. Getty Images hide caption

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It's All Politics

Sequester Scorecard: A Month Later, Effects Still Up In Air

Automatic federal budget cuts that kicked in March 1 have had little initial impact in many parts of the government. In a few programs, however, the effect has been real and painful as the government has begun cutting $85 billion from its spending through the end of September.

Sequester Scorecard: A Month Later, Effects Still Up In Air

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