What happens if the sequester takes place

In addition to sending a letter to members of Congress, geoscientists can submit a letter to the editor of their local newspapers. They can be submitted by anyone though not all letters are printed. Below are three steps provided by the American Geophysical Union's Office of Strategic Communciations and Outreach on submitting a letter to the editor. Review publications in your community to determine which ones accept letters to the editor and their preferred formats.

This information can typically be found on the outlet's web site. Prepare a draft. The average letter to the editor should run between and words and the signature should include the author's current professional title. If it is not indicated by their title, the author should also be identified by the type of work he or she does e.

Use the below draft as a guideline for your letter, adding localized information found in the tables above or quotes from local lawmakers found below in the spaces indicated. Submit the letter. Remember to follow the outlet's established guidelines, which can typically be found on their web site. Submit the letter via the method they specify e. If they ask for your contact infomation and your home address, provide it. And, most importantly, if they give you a word limit, stick to it.

By not following these guidelines you limit the chances of having your letter chosen. This entire paragraph should not be longer than 60 words. The field of geoscience is essential in order to meet society's demands for natural resources, environmental quality, and resilience to hazards. Below are several quotes from lawmakers and the administration that can be used in letters to representatives or in letters to the editor.

It's bad policy all around. We have similar cuts of similar magnitude on the discretionary side and elsewhere which are not appropriate. Public Health Newswire. The Columbus Dispatch. Climate Science Watch. ABC News. National Law Review. The Washington Post.

Blame the sequester. Association of Public Health Laboratories. Center for American Progress. Bipartisan Policy Center. Please support our research with a financial contribution. It organizes the public into nine distinct groups, based on an analysis of their attitudes and values. Even in a polarized era, the survey reveals deep divisions in both partisan coalitions.

Use this tool to compare the groups on some key topics and their demographics. Pew Research Center now uses as the last birth year for Millennials in our work. President Michael Dimock explains why. About Pew Research Center Pew Research Center is a nonpartisan fact tank that informs the public about the issues, attitudes and trends shaping the world.

Congress has extended the mandatory sequester several times. The required spending cuts in the BCA were intended to come half from defense programs and half from non-defense programs. The defense category is the federal budget's national defense function, which includes the Department of Defense, nuclear-weapons related activities at the Department of Energy, and the national security activities of several other agencies such as the Coast Guard and Federal Bureau of Investigation.

Non-defense is everything else. The defense category has few mandatory programs, so nearly all the defense reduction was applied to discretionary programs.

On the non-defense side, roughly one-third of the non-defense savings originally came from mandatory spending and the rest from a reduction in discretionary spending. Within each category, the BCA allocated the savings proportionally across discretionary and non-exempt mandatory programs.

On the mandatory side, each year the Office of Management and Budget OMB calculates the percentage and dollar amount to be taken from affected programs to achieve the total mandatory cut required by the BCA. When Congress raised the discretionary caps, it directed that the mandatory sequester calculations be made as if the caps had not been raised.

Unlike discretionary spending caps, which expire after , sequestration of mandatory spending has been extended on several occasions. The BBA of extended the mandatory sequester through , and then a law modifying military retiree benefits extended the sequester through