WASHINGTON (AP) - President Barack Obama says Congress can keep across-the-board cuts from taking effect with "just a little bit of compromise."
Speaking to the nation's governors, Obama says the impact of the budget cuts may not be felt immediately. But he says the uncertainty created by the cuts is already having an effect on the economy.
The president says Monday that the longer the cuts are in place, the deeper the impact will be on the economy.
Vice President Joe Biden told the governors that they're more disciplined than Congress and chided Washington lawmakers for blocking a solution. He says everyone agrees the so-called sequester should be addressed.
Unless Congress acts, $85 billion in cuts will go into effect Friday. The White House has warned the cuts could affect everything from commercial flights to classrooms to meat inspections. They would slash domestic and defense spending, leading to furloughs for hundreds of thousands of workers.
Below are examples of how Texas could be affected by the automatic budget cuts that are set to take effect this week.
As to whether states could move money around to cover shortfalls, the White House said that depends on state budget structures and the specific programs. The White House did not have a list of which states or programs might have flexibility.
EDUCATION:
- About $67.8 million in funding for primary and secondary education, putting around 930 teacher and aide jobs at risk.
- Head Start and Early Head Start would be eliminated for approximately 4,800 children.
ENVIRONMENT:
- About $8.5 million in environmental funding.
- About $2.2 million in grants for fish and wildlife protection.
MILITARY READINESS AND LAW ENFORCEMENT:
-About 52,000 civilian Department of Defense employees would be furloughed, reducing gross pay by around $274.8 million.
- About $233 million for Army base operations in Texas.
- About $27 million for Air Force operations in Texas.
JOB SEARCH AID:
- About $2.2 million in funding for job search assistance, referral and placement.
LAW ENFORCEMENT
- About $1.1 million in grants that support law enforcement, prosecution, courts, crime prevention, corrections and crime victim initiatives.
NUTRITION ASSISTANCE FOR SENIORS
- About $3.6 million in funding for meals for seniors.
PUBLIC HEALTH
- About $2.4 million in funds to help Texas upgrade its ability to respond to public health threats including infectious diseases, natural disasters and biological, chemical, nuclear and radiological events.
- About $6.8 million in grants to help prevent and treat substance abuse.
- About $1.1 million in health department funding for HIV tests.
