Study finds $150 billion in cuts to offset Sequestration: The money is there, Mr. President
Christopher Cook |
March 5 2013
The idea that we cannot find anything in the budget to cut is simply ludicrous.
From Heritage:
Potential Sequestration Replacement Proposals
| Estimated Annualized Savings (in millions of dollars) | Proposal |
| Agriculture | |
| $4,500 | Phase out or cap farm subsidies. |
| $400 | Reduce premium subsidy in crop insurance. |
| $5,638 | Restrict automatic eligibility for food stamps, accelerate sunset of enhanced stimulus food stamp benefits, and adjust terms for food stamp heating and cooling allowances. |
| $1,500 | Merge agriculture outreach agencies and halve their budgets. |
| $1,500 | Eliminate the Foreign Agricultural Service. |
| Commerce | |
| $500 | Eliminate business subsidies from the National Institute of Standards and Technology. |
| $128 | Eliminate Hollings Manufacturing Extension Program. |
| $335 | Eliminate the International Trade Administration’s trade-promotion activities. |
| $258 | Eliminate the Economic Development Administration. |
| Community Development | |
| $3,000 | Eliminate Community Development Block Grants. |
| $500 | Eliminate the Rural Utilities Service. |
| Education | |
| $12,000 | Limit Pell Grants to their 2009 level of $24 billion. |
| $3,500 | Begin phaseout of Head Start. |
| $1,500 | Eliminate duplicative education grants. |
| $1,500 | Scale back the Education Department bureaucracy. |
| Energy and Environment | |
| $4,500 | Reduce energy subsidies for commercialization. |
| $1,490 | Eliminate federal grants for wastewater and drinking water infrastructure. |
| $700 | Reduce the Strategic Petroleum Reserve. |
| $253 | Eliminate grants to states for energy conservation and weatherization. |
| $245 | Reduce funding for energy efficiency and renewable energy research, development, and demonstration. |
| $1,070 | Terminate the U.S. Geological Survey. |
| Financial Services | |
| $2,350 | Repeal FDIC liquidation authority. |
| $414 | Terminate new Home Affordable Modification Program authority. |
| $448 | Terminate Federal Reserve transfers to the Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection. |
| $71 | Eliminate the Office of Financial Research. |
| Health Care | |
| $9,990 | Limit states’ ability to tax Medicaid and CHIP providers; limit disproportionate-share hospital payments; repeal certain requirements that states maintain Medicaid and CHIP eligibility rules; limit Medicaid payments to territories; repeal performance bonuses under CHIP. |
| $4,000 | Repeal HHS Secretary’s authority to provide state grants for establishing health insurance exchanges; repeal the Prevention and Public Health Fund; rescind loan funding for the Consumer Operated and Oriented program. |
| $400 | Eliminate the Maternal and Child Block Grant. |
| $350 | Eliminate Title X Family Planning grants. |
| $300 | Eliminate health professions grants. |
| $75 | Eliminate the Health Services Corps. |
| Homeland Security | |
| $1,500 | Reduce grants to states. |
| International | |
| $1,325 | Terminate U.S. contribution to the International Development Association. |
| $32 | Withdraw funding for the African Development Bank. |
| $100 | Withdraw funding for the Asian Development Fund. |
| $625 | Eliminate the State Department’s education and cultural exchange programs. |
| $1,252 | Withdraw funding for the European Bank for Reconstruction and Development. |
| $5 | Withdraw funding for the Inter-American Investment Corporation. |
| $25 | Withdraw funding for the Enterprise for the Americas Multilateral Investment Fund. |
| $80 | Phase out the Overseas Private Investment Corporation. |
| $30 | Withdraw from the African Development Foundation. |
| $50 | Phase out the Trade and Development Agency. |
| $27 | Terminate the U.S. Emergency Refugee Migration Assistance Fund. |
| $17 | Close the East–West Center. |
| Justice | |
| $1,161 | Terminate State and Local Law Enforcement Assistance. |
| $199 | Terminate Community-Oriented Policing Services. |
| $263 | Terminate Juvenile Justice Programs. |
| $348 | Terminate the Legal Services Corporation. |
| Labor | |
| $5,000 | Consolidate federal job training programs. |
| $1,500 | Eliminate the Job Corps. |
| Science | |
| $1,500 | Reduce NASA space exploration. |
| $1,500 | Reduce funding for the National Science Foundation. |
| Transportation | |
| $7,800 | Limit highway spending to trust fund level. |
| $4,200 | Eliminate intercity rail subsidies. |
| $725 | Privatize Amtrak. |
| $2,000 | Eliminate New Starts transit programs. |
| $1,070 | Eliminate grants to large and medium-sized hub airports. |
| $550 | Eliminate the Maritime Administration. |
| $125 | Eliminate Essential Air Services. |
| Cross-Agency and Other | |
| $11,000 | Reduce improper payments by 10 percent. |
| $31,000 | Rescind unspent stimulus funds for transportation, education, and other programs and refundable portion of tax credits. |
| $1,890 | Reduce non-defense travel budgets by 35 percent. |
| $101 | Reduce non-defense printing and reproduction by 25 percent. |
| $2,700 | Reduce non-defense supplies and materials by 15 percent. |
| $3,825 | Reduce non-defense advisory and assistance by 35 percent. |
| $1,500 | Eliminate FCC funding for school Internet service. |
| $650 | Eliminate the National Community Service programs. |
| $835 | Eliminate senior community service employment. |
| $445 | Eliminate subsidies for the Corporation for Public Broadcasting. |
| $146 | Eliminate the National Endowment for the Humanities. |
| $146 | Eliminate the National Endowment for the Arts. |
Total Annualized Savings
$150.662 billion
Note: Savings amounts are Heritage Foundation calculations based on Congressional Budget Office figures, enacted appropriations policies extended in the fiscal year 2013 continuing resolution, and other sources. Savings are annualized amounts, although only three-fourths of the fiscal year will remain for offsetting the $55 billion in defense cuts. Slower phase-ins of some recommendations would also affect actual savings amounts.
