Weekend Economists Revelations and Reviews April 26-28, 2013

[Demeter]

11. Budget Politics Forcing Congress To Pick Favorites

http://www.npr.org/blogs/itsallpolitics/2013/04/26/179257794/budget-politics-forcing-congress-to-pick-favorites?ft=1&f=1001

...With spending cuts caused by sequestration rolling throughout the government, the question becomes which programs Congress might address next — and why.

"That's the parlor game in Washington," says Scott Lilly, a former staff director of the House Appropriations Committee. "There are dozens and dozens of candidates."

The federal government runs thousands of programs across the country, many of which are starting to feel the pinch. Most of them lack the visibility of air traffic controllers or meat inspectors, whom Congress decided to spare from the indiscriminate cuts of the sequester last month.

Many more programs will be visibly affected in May and June, as mandatory one-month notices for furloughs of federal employees begin to ripen.

Congress won't step in to restore each and every program, but the swift response to complaints about air travel delays suggests the task of cutting back on popular government services remains as daunting as ever.

"They're willing to reverse or fix the problem when they feel the slightest bit of pressure," says Stan Collender, a federal budget expert with the communications firm Qorvis. "What this tells you is the appetite for spending cuts — inside the Beltway and outside the Beltway — is very limited."

WHO WILL SPEAK FOR THE POOR?

THIS IS NO WAY TO RUN A GOVERNMENT!