Sequestration Cuts Could Hit DC Region Hard
Graphs break down number of federal employees in each Maryland county.
The numbers here show the federal employees in Maryland by county in 2012, according to the latest figures from Eye on Washington, a DC-based lobbying firm that tracks federal employment. It compiles the data from the Office of Personnel Management, Federal Employment Statistics and the Bureau of Labor Statistics.
While much has been made written on how the current sequestration battle in Washington could affect the national economy, these numbers are meant to give readers a sense of the sequestration at the local level.
Here in the Washington, DC, region, county officials have urged congressional leaders to come to compromise on the sequester.
No one knows for certain what the sequestration cuts, some $85 billion, will mean exactly. Even if the March 1 federal cuts are enacted, the full effects would not be felt immediately. The government is required to alert impacted agencies of what cuts are to be made and what workers are to be furloughed.
It should be noted, however, that even the suggestion of cuts and the notification process itself could be felt in some community economies.
Uncertainty for federal workers means they are likely to tighten their belts until they see what the cuts look like—and how long they last. It means those workers will likely spend less money at local shops and restaurants.
In some communities there may be only a handful of federal workers and the impacts may be small. But, as these figures show, in other counties federal employees numbers in the thousands and in those places the sequestration could become a more significant pain, particularly if it drags on for weeks or months.
(U.S. Postal Service Employees are excluded in this count. The USPS receives no tax dollars in its operations and would not be affected by the sequestration cuts.)
Dante Chinni
2:58 pm on Thursday, February 28, 2013
I'm biased, but cool graphic.
Laura L Thornton
3:00 pm on Thursday, February 28, 2013
I agree! I wish, though, that the scale of the graphs for each county was the same. It's a bit misleading at first.
Fred Foo
7:00 am on Friday, March 1, 2013
Also, get rid of the unnecessary animation. It adds nothing; just makes it harder to quickly flip between counties when you're trying to compare counties. And just showing one simple graph of counties vs totals would have been more effective. Since the cuts are across-the-board, there's no point in showing the per-agency breakdown.
It's funny that Patch gave credit to a team for this graphic because it looks like the person who designed or requested it didn't understand what was the most important aspect and the person who implemented it didn't understand how to best visualize it. They're both probably relieved their names aren't on it.
The Big Egg
8:45 am on Friday, March 1, 2013
I really don't understand this hysteria. Companies have to cut back in the face of decreased business. State and local governments (constrained by balanced budget requirements) have to cut back to to account for decreased tax revenue. Only in the Wonderland of the Federal Government are they immune from having to trim. Ask people in the heartland, who actually lost their jobs, if they have sympathy. Ask people in the real world, whose jobs aren't protected by unions, if they have sympathy.
Joe Galvagna
9:51 am on Friday, March 1, 2013
There is no emergency it just means the left has to cut some of the free crap. There is so much pork in this administration they could double this amount with ever effecting the working public. They are just protecting the freeloaders in the country on the backs of the working people. They talk about sharing well lets start making the freeloaders start sharing the cut backs. These leftwingers are tearing out country apart and Obama is the worst of them all. He builds all this fear on lies and deceptions. The whole Democratic party is one big lie and freer mongering party. They are no less than the theives in jail for stealing. Our country is being ruined by the likes of phonies like Obama, Palosie, Reed, OMalley, Finestein, and the like. All they are interested in is getting reelected and be famed the working puplic.
Eric S.
11:39 am on Friday, March 1, 2013
>>The whole Democratic party is one big lie and freer mongering party. They are no less than the theives in jail for stealing.<<
I agree 100%. So are the Republicans. Obama has carried on most of the same policies Bush Jr. had going, and took a chunk of his cabinet. Drones, Wall Street bailouts, wiretapping, etc. All Bush policies that carried over and got worse.
And don't get me started on the thieves on both sides of the aisle in Congress. . .
Never mind. I'm just yelling into the woods at this point. Not like anyone's listening.
Eric S.
11:27 am on Friday, March 1, 2013
Good. I want one of these budget panics to actually happen instead of a bunch of posturing and a last minute "fix" (which I'm convinced is all planned well in advance). The trifecta of government, media, and large corporations has turned politics into pro-wrestling at this point, with the plots essentially written out by the 1%'ers (who sit on both sides of the fake aisle, thank you) for their own benefit. We're being fed a bill of goods by two opposing teams who are all friends behind closed doors, and we eat it up like it's real.
So yes, please, sequester the crap out of everything. Shut down the services, defense, everything. Kill them all. I want to watch this country burn for a few weeks and the people who think all government is bad suddenly realize what they're actually getting out of this civilization deal.
But it won't happen. I guarantee it.