Can Water Programs Survive $225 Million in Cuts?

The Nation’s water-related programs are facing significant setbacks if automatic funding cuts of more than $225 million occur as scheduled on January 2013 (see chart).  According to a report the Obama Administration released last week, the cuts will affect all federal agencies and programs, including the Environmental Protection Agency, which will see a $719 million reduction below fiscal year 2012 (FY12) spending levels. These automatic “sequestration” cuts will be triggered in January if Congress does not enact a plan to reduce the federal deficit by $1.2 trillion, as required by the Budget Control Act of 2011 (BCA). In August 2011, majorities in both the House and Senate voted on the budget agreement, which included the threat of sequestration as a[…]