The White House is sounding the alarm on the so-called "sequester" that is looming on Mar. 1, and education in Florida could take a hit.
According to Central Florida News 13, the White House released specific detailed cuts that the state could be faced with if the massive budget cuts go into effect. According to a White House fact sheet, Florida stands to lose up to $84 million in federal education funds.
According to the fat sheet, the bulk of the $84 million cut would go towards funding for primary and secondary education, which would stand to lose $54 million. The next highest would be for educating children with disabilities, which would see a $30 million reduction from Washington. The cuts would deny up to 2,700 children Head Start and Early Start services.
Other cuts that the state would face would be some funding for children's vaccinations and child care. Also, 1.8 million in funds that would upgrade health official’s response to public health emergencies would be on the chopping block as well.
Chris Ingram, an Orlando based Republican political analyst, described the White House sequester plan is a scare tactic. He told News 13:
The minuscule amount of money that this sequester would actually force the Congress and the United States of America to take in the form of cuts, it's minuscule in proportion to actual federal government spending and the debt. It actually does nothing to reduce the debt.
The White House report also states that Florida could see up to 31,000 Department of Defense employees furloughed, including some workforce at MacDill Air Force base in Tampa. The report also states that millions of funding could be slashed from Navy, Army and Air Force operations throughout Florida.
Congress has until March 1 to pass legislation to avoid the cuts.
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