WASHINGTON -
President Obama
talked to media after meeting with top Congressional leaders at the White House. He says the automatic spending cuts are
going through.
Lawmakers had a year and a half to come
up with a budget compromise to avoid the harsh cuts. But Democrats pushed for tax hikes, Republicans
wanted to trim more spending and both sides are still pointing fingers.
The cuts go into effect when the
president signs the order. The law gives him until midnight to do so; then
dozens of federal agencies will start scaling back.
$85 billion or about 3% of the budget
needs to be slashed this year. Almost half of the cuts will be at the Pentagon.
General Ray Odierno says the army alone will have to stop training 80% of its
troops.
The cuts will take time to implement and
the full effect may not be seen for weeks. But the Obama administration says
expect fewer police on the street, teacher layoffs and flight delays.
Many of the cuts at
Defense will include civilians who work for the military. The Navy alone plans
to furlough 186,000 civilian employees.
