How Will the Sequester Affect Us?

The dreaded sequester (we’ve been calling it the “s-word” in the Army Wife Network Core Team) has hit. The axe has fallen. But, has the sky?

Not yet, according to economist Julianne Malveaux in an interview on APM’s Marketplace: “The sky probably falls on March 27 when we go again to see whether we’ll close the government. In the meantime, I think we’ve already seen the effect of sequester on consumers. Spending at Walmart went down. Now Walmart is where you can get the cheapest stuff. So it suggests that even working class people are being very careful about what they’re spending and we know that spending is what drives the market.”

Okay, okay, but that’s everyone. What about us? The military family? What specifically is going to happen with our pay/lifestyle/services/community?

You asked; I researched:

Military Pay

Military pay is exempt from sequestration, thanks to policy that President Barak Obama signed in late summer last year. The thing that will affect pay, however, is that military pay is capped at a 1% increase, as opposed to the projected 1.7% that we were expecting. Tuition assistance programs may also be affected.

Veteran Pay

Veterans’ disability, education, counseling, and health benefits are protected, according to an Army Times article.

Civilian Furloughs

This is where we get hit hard. For families who have one income earner who is a government civilian, it will be direct, as the sequester mandates a furlough of a day a week for up to 22 weeks. This will result in an effective 20% pay cut for these employees. What that means for the rest of the community, though, is fewer people doing the same amount of work. Keep an eye open for shorter drop-off hours at daycare, longer waits for access to care at clinics, longer lines at installation offices, and more. The other effect of this, of course, is that our military members may be working longer hours to make up for the absences of their civilian counterparts.

Commissary

All commissaries will be closing on Wednesdays (in addition to whatever regular closure days your local commissary will have). This is so that DeCA can comply with the furloughs mandated by sequester.

Schools

Perhaps one of the areas where we will feel the cuts the soonest, Department of Defense schools at home and overseas will be hit with a double-whammy. Besides the civilian furloughs, schools will be hit with cuts to a program called “Impact Aid,” which is a government program that supplements local property tax losses for districts that cover federal land. We may see the impact in the form of larger class sizes, a possible shorter school week, and the suspension of needed repair and building projects for our aging school infrastructure program.

Spouse Employment

There is a hiring freeze in place for the federal government, which includes laying off temporary workers and releasing term employees at the ends of their terms. The secondary effect of this: local businesses around military bases will also be feeling the hit, especially as government civilians, military families, and contractors begin their belt-tightening. Fewer spending dollars equals less spending. Less spending equals less business. Less business equals less hiring. Some small local businesses will likely be hit hard enough that they will have to close. It’s sad but true.

Social Services

The Women, Infants, and Children Nutrition Program is subject to 8.2% cuts, meaning less access to services and fewer recipients, with a possible 300,000 removed from the rolls. Check with other local offices for state and federal social services to see how they will be affected.

Child Care

It remains to be seen how this will be implemented specifically (and locally). CDC employees may not be hit with the same furloughs as everyone else, but we’re watching the ripples. Contact the representatives on your installation to see what their plans are.

Here’s What You Can Do

There will be more. I know it, you know it, our civilian and military leaders know it, so what can we do?

• Get involved. Attend your installation’s Town Hall meetings and command briefings. Get into whatever communications system your local leaders are using, whether that be Facebook, installation websites, Twitter, or e-mail lists. Knowledge is power.
• Manage your finances. Make sure you are paying attention to where your money is going, and do your best to set aside whatever you can to manage in case something unexpected happens.
• Communicate! Communicate with your family, especially, about what changes might occur if your daily routine is affected. Communicate with your local leadership. And communicate with your representatives in Washington. Let them know how this is affecting us at the military family level. They need to know. You can find out how to contact them here.

The bottom line is, no, the sky will not fall. We will get through this the way we always do—by supporting each other, lifting each other up, listening to each others’ concerns, and being the family we always have been. The Military Family.

I got your back, my sisters and brothers.