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Across-the-board spending cuts will make the United States more vulnerable to a terror attack, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano warned Monday.
Because the $85 billion in cuts are spread among domestic and defense budgets and don't differentiate about what is affected, Napolitano said, they make it difficult to mitigate security threats.
"We're going to do everything we can to minimize that risk, but the sequester makes it awfully, awfully tough," she said.
"Put simply, the automatic budget reduction mandated by sequestration would be disruptive and destructive to our nation's security and economy," the secretary said during a White House media briefing. "It would negatively affect the mission readiness and capabilities of the men and women on our front lines. It would undermine the significant progress we've made over the past 10 years to build the nation's preparedness and resiliency."
She said the department has begun to furlough Customs and Border Protection officers at ports of entry. The average wait time to customs will increase by as much as 50 percent, she estimated, and at the busiest airports peak wait times "could easily grow to four hours or more."
"I don't think we can maintain the same level of security at all places around the country with sequester compared to without sequester," said Napolitano, whose agency includes the Transportation Security Administration.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood said Friday air travelers could expect longer waits because of the cuts and Sunday the Obama administration released a scorecard of how the sequester would affect each state in education.
The cuts will also affect the departments of Defense and Justice, as well as other national security spending.
"I think if you look at the combination of the effect on [the Department of Homeland Security], the Department of Justice and the Department of Defense, we are having real impacts on the robustness of our defensive posture," Napolitano said.
Napolitano said the cuts would reduce Coast Guard patrols by 25 percent and decrease the number of beds for immigration detentions.
"When you slow down the inspection of [cargo ship] containers by up to five days ... that translates into lots and lots of jobs, good paying jobs, and those are going to be impacted," Napolitano said.
It also would reduce the department's investigative activities and areas such as human smuggling and commercial trade fraud, she said.
Concerning the nation's disaster preparedness, response and recovery efforts, "it will reduce the disaster relief fund by nearly $1 billion, potentially affecting survivors recovering from Hurricane Sandy, the tornadoes in places like Tuscaloosa [Ala.] a and Joplin [Mo.], and other major disasters across the country," Napolitano said.
"Threats from terrorism and the need to respond and recover from natural disasters do not diminish because of budget cuts," she said. "[We] do not have the luxury of making significant reductions to our capabilities without significant impacts. We will work to continue to preserve our frontline priorities as best we can, but no amount of planning can mitigate the negative effects of sequestration."
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February 26, 2013 @ 6:36 am
Here’s a crazy idea. Instead of pouring every ounce of energy and thought into finding ways to make any cuts as painful and political as possible, they actually concentrate on finding ways to cut the myriad useless, make-work garbage programs, pork, and outright bribes to political cronies?
It’s sad that there’s not a chance in Hades of that happening or even being considered.
February 26, 2013 @ 9:00 am
They keep threatening that sequester will mean furloughs, which makes it sound like personnel will be laid off, or let go. That is not true. Furlough means employees will take one unpaid day off every two weeks. The ship will not sink.
February 26, 2013 @ 9:12 am
More bold lies from the arrogant apostles of utopian socialism…after a local TV station parroted this big cuts baloney…I e mailed them this:
The monster federal gov-meant will spend more next year than last no matter what!
Please investigate Baseline Budgeting!
Any “cuts” (proposed are 2.5%) are not off a zero but off automatic raises…
Please tell viewers the truth and stop parroting the national clueless media.
The bold lies must stop.
February 26, 2013 @ 9:59 am
One way is to start cutting jobs like hers and putting all that excess ammo they brought to the public and quit messing with with honest Americans best thing is to put homeland securty under border patrol
February 26, 2013 @ 10:11 am
First thing that needs to be cut is ALL Foreign Aid to countries that HATE AMERICA!
This amounts to billions of dollars going to islamic countries that call the U.S. there enemy.
Israel is the only country that America should be supporting.
February 26, 2013 @ 10:27 am
Does this mean less fondling by the TSA? It just might be worth it.
“I don’t think we can maintain the same level of security at all places around the country with sequester compared to without sequester,”
February 26, 2013 @ 10:46 am
Napolitano,,,,, just one more pestering, festering Liberal molester of the imaginary fear of the Sequester. In thoughtful debate even a child could best her.
February 26, 2013 @ 2:49 pm
Translation: “DHS will use the opportunity of this economic struggle on the American citizenry to identify dissent and exercise the full powers of the NDAA and Patriot Act. We will create as many false flag operations necessary to execute Americans with our recently purchased ammunition.”
February 26, 2013 @ 4:35 pm
Along with that newly purchased (billions of rounds) of ammunition, don’t forget to mention the new targets DHS personnel are being trained with.
Those would be the No More Hesitation series created by Law Enforcement Targets, Inc. at the request of DHS.
They depict white civilians in residential settings holding a gun.
The use of these targets in training exercises is meant to desensitize the agent/officer to situations such as elderly people in their study or kitchen, youngsters in playgrounds or yards, or a pregnant woman in the nursery.
Apparently, the natural inclination to hesitate in these situations is detrimental to DHS policy, thus the need for No More Hesitation targets.
http://www.theblaze.com/stories/2013/02/19/company-with-ties-to-the-federal-govt-designs-unsettling-targets-for-law-enforcement-community/
February 27, 2013 @ 9:54 am
With the bulk of Obummer’s cuts being Military for a high profile propaganda of “See what you Republicans made me do?” Like a little kid.
Why would he add insult to injury by increasing the Food Stamp program to include Petfood stamps. He needs his butt kicked around the world.
February 27, 2013 @ 10:05 am
Tomt … that would be quite a change for him, since he is so used to having his butt kissed around the world (and in congress) I guess all we can do is hope
February 26, 2013 @ 7:50 am
in the words of austin powers “SHES A MAN BABY”,yeah!
February 26, 2013 @ 9:17 am
SCHEXNAYDER’S LAW
Utopian socialism is not reality-based…
its fantasy-based and hence MUST be deception-based. This is why so many thinking humans are puzzled by the words/actions of the arrogant apostles of utopian socialism, who, lacking ethical or moral boundaries…have no problem with dishonesty.
THEY MUST use distractions, bold lies, demons and smears to promote or protect their toxic policies…they have no choice…they are selling fire (toxic utopian socialism) to a scarecrow (the voter)…thus reality-based thinkers must tolerate their bold lies daily as we watch in amazement.
BTW, they cannot be debated (its like teaching algebra to a dog)…
only exposed and defeated.
http://theconservativecrawfish.wordpress.com/
February 26, 2013 @ 8:36 am
As a manager in a large corporation for many years, I learned that it is incredibly easy to be a star when you have everything you need to accomplish your given mission. The real test of just how good you are, is when you don’t have all that you would like to have, but, accomplish your mission nonetheless.
I find Ms Napolitano’s “the sky is falling” rhetoric an affront to any half way intelligent person’s intellect. I find it an affront to my dignity as an American citizen that she would try to intimidate me with threats to my security when all she has to do is “intelligently” analyze her budget, identify the areas that can be trimmed without any reduction in protection, and then institute those reductions and keep on truckin’. I say to Ms Napolitano, “if you cannot maintain our security and accomplish your mission, you do not deserve to be in the position you are in and should resign immediately”.
I also find it insulting that the examples you mention of potential decreases in services, just happen to pander to issues du jour coming from the charlatan occupying the White House. Shame on you madam for playing politics with the security of the citizens of this country. Do your job or get out.
February 26, 2013 @ 9:30 am
There aren’t any Obama appointees who can run an efficient organization…if she can’t cut 2-3% without disaster, then she clearly isn’t qualified for her post…Most in the Obama administration had reached the top ladder of the Peter Priciple decades ago…
February 26, 2013 @ 10:23 am
Very eloquently stated, however think you might be talking over their heads. Have to remember these employees of our’s are mouth pieces of the main dolt in charge. Personally think that Janet Napolitano is just one more example of the sheep we have as empolyees in our government at all levels(local, state and federal) Think there are people that need to take a pay cut, go into politics to save our country.
February 26, 2013 @ 10:25 am
I completely agree with you.You put in the right words and context that a lot of us cannot because of knowing the right way to put it on paper so to speak Thank You all I know is there is to many appointments and people doing the same basic job that could be consolidated or done away with
February 26, 2013 @ 12:26 pm
Well said, iceman47.
Bear in mind that Ms Napolitano, as the head of DHS, is a person who can look right into the cameras and declare for all to hear, “Our borders are significantly secure.”
Can you imagine how the ‘coyotes’ and their charges sneaking across, Border Patrol Agents, and any resident, farmer, township or big city situated along our southern border responded to that claim?
Hah!
February 26, 2013 @ 5:55 pm
Iceman47, well stated and I concur wholeheartedly.
In 1981, after Ronald Reagan was inaugurated, one of his first official acts was to cut all government agencies 10% across the board, and to freeze all hiring. It made everyone clean house, and we all survived. Maybe all the agency talking-heads, including the president, should make the same play from the”Old Gipper’s” playbook. However, we all know that will never become a reality…. Obama will, in his revengeful style, make it hard on everyone, just for the purpose of getting even with all those that go against him, as we are now seeing play out with all of his scare tactics. The very same tactics that are used in every state when it comes to the people not wanting to spend more of their hard-earned money on more pork. They always go after the essential services and education. It’s all a load of you-know-what…
He DOES NOT CARE what happens to the people of our country. He has an agenda, and that is to bring this country to her knees, make her submissive to the rest of the world. It’s taking place before our very eyes….
February 26, 2013 @ 8:49 am
This comming from the BIGGEST waste of tax dollars ever. He needs to do his job (whatever that is), and stay out of the political arena.
February 26, 2013 @ 9:08 am
These so called leaders have known about the sequester since 2011. It was then delayed 2 months. And, JUST NOW, they are actually making plans for it? What do we pay these bozos for? A 3% cut is nothing. I would not mind them cutting 20% and then cut some more. All of these career politicians standing around with their thumb up their backside disgust me. They are *NOT* innocent bystanders who just happen to be around when the poop hits the fan. They created this mess. They should man up and take a meat axe to the federal budget and start whacking away.
Or, maybe just fire them all and start all over again.
February 26, 2013 @ 9:15 am
It is utterly unbelievable what all the gooberment claims that we get out of a measly 2 cents on the dollar. We just WISH they spent our money so efficiently and wisely
February 26, 2013 @ 9:31 am
Do they really think the American people buy into this ****? They (the President)created this mess and he needs to fix it, end of story, but he can’t because he doesn’t know how to work with people.
Here’s another idea that might get them thinking, stop paying Congress, most of them should be in the unemployment line anyway.
I know it’s not that much money, but maybe it would get their attention.
But the real cuts could / should come by stopping ALL aid to the countries we give billions to, you know, the ones who hate our guts and give nothing in return. That would work for me.
The money can be easily found to stop all this nonsense, but they reach for the high drama targets so they won’t have to give up any of the special projects near and dear to the hearts of the people they are paying off.
When is this administration going to learn that you can’t keep spending money you don’t have, and you can’t have everything you want! Now they claim, all of the sudden they won’t be able to keep us safe, really, the boarders have been wide open and strategically under manned for years, how will they tell where the new threat came from, what story will they make up this time?
This is really getting old, why can’t this President work with the people he has been trusted to work with? someone, anyone? It’s always the same thing, he asks and expects to get what he wants and when he doesn’t he has a tantrum. History shows us, he can’t work together to solve even the simple of issues, what makes us think they can fix this?
February 26, 2013 @ 11:48 am
The administration knows you can’t keep spending money you don’t have. It will keep doing that because it is all part of “fundamentally transforming America” into something this country is not. We will weather this storm and come out leaner and meaner on the other side, but it will be a rough ride in the meantime.
February 26, 2013 @ 12:18 pm
I agree wholeheartedly with your statement; “But the real cuts could / should come by stopping ALL aid to the countries we give billions to, you know, the ones who hate our guts and give nothing in return. That would work for me.”
Have Obama stop payment on the Billion Dollar check to the Muslim Brotherhood in Egypt and cancel the gift of the F-16 Aircraft. This includes funding other enemies like Al Qaeda VIA the Billion to the Muslim Brotherhood.
When the heck is our military and/or Congress going to apprehend this Operative in the White House? Or, does he own them too?
February 26, 2013 @ 9:32 am
“She said the department has begun to furlough Customs and Border Protection officers at ports of entry”.
Napolitano is a know liar and worshiper of Obama, but she should have been fired a long time ago. WHY have furloughs already begun when the sequester hasn’t even begun yet?
February 26, 2013 @ 3:50 pm
I will never trust what this **** has to say/claim. She learned how to lie from Obama.
All this talking about disastrous ‘cuts’, when most of you commenters don’t even realize there are NO actual “CUTS” of ANY budget going to happen!
The US will SPEND MORE this year than last year, even WITHOUT the sequester ‘cuts’!
These so-called ‘cuts’ ONLY affect the already approved ‘cuntinuing resolution’ spending at higher levels than last year. The 2.5% cut is ONLY a REDUCTION in the PLANNED 6% or whatever it is INCREASE already approved, (even without a budget)!
So, the ‘sky is falling’ doomdayers like miss ster and Obama are only railing against ‘cutting’ theri planned INCREASE in spending.
At this rate, we will NEVER be able to actually see ANY deficit reduction, if all they can do is cut the rate of increase of overspending and thus borrowing!
Republicans need to ACCEPT these ‘cuts’, for what they are worth, as the ONLY ‘cuts’ that they will get from Obama!
February 26, 2013 @ 9:33 am
One thing that is never mentioned about the sequester by politicians or the media is that it is not actually a cut, it is simply a reduction of their anticipated increases. In simple terms, if an agency’s budget is $100, and they are expecting an increase of $10.00 next year but only get $8.00, politicians characterize that as a $2.00 cut to their budget. Don’t know about you, but I characterize that as an $8.00 increase!
February 26, 2013 @ 9:39 am
I do not see why Obama is making a huge deal out a so called sequester,(and blaming the GOP) when HE himself said he would VETO any legislation that crossed his desk that would NOT allow the cuts to take place,on You Tube.
You can watch him say it on video now, as he said it in 2011.
I think DHS is the most redundant agency we have.
February 26, 2013 @ 9:49 am
Actually, this whole sequester was originally HIS IDEA!
February 26, 2013 @ 9:39 am
Lies, heaped upon more lies, heaped upon even more lies. Obama signed SQ into law. This bratty and petulant boy-man and every single one of his vaporheaded acolytes are insufferable, congential liars. The whole pack of them. As things look now as Obama’s long list of travesties are unravelled (one by one) possibly beginning in 2014, it will clearly be seen that this man’s legacy was based almost entirely on obfuscation. We have had some pathetic performances by guys who “snuck” into the White House before, Carter and Bush 43 among them, but this guy is the WORST ever, hands down. A total fraud.
February 26, 2013 @ 9:50 am
If these idiots can’t cut two and a half cents on the dollar then they should turn in their resignations immediately. This isn’t even a cut, it is a reduction in an increase. This is just more proof of the tax and spend, tax and spend, tax and spend mentality of the left.
February 26, 2013 @ 9:59 am
Hay you dumbass napalatano; why don’t you stop your massive bullet purchases and the armored personnel carriers…. That should cover the budget cuts without affecting the border guards…..
You really are an imbecile……You should do this country a good deed and quit………..
February 26, 2013 @ 10:06 am
Let them squawk all they want; then let them do what they are threatening. It has never been carried through. This is just another name; same song, second verse. Let them do as they say and perhaps Congress and the Senate can do something that will help the financial problems our country is facing. They act like children not getting their way. We don’t have enough adults working for us in WDC.
February 26, 2013 @ 10:09 am
Enough propaganda and blame game start working on real solutions for the good of all the country
February 26, 2013 @ 12:54 pm
They have no solutions, just plans and schemes to limit more freedoms and make things “fair”.
February 26, 2013 @ 10:36 am
Used to respect Napo but she, and the rest of the Obamites in Power have running biserk with their boss great idea of Sequestration, but the nation doesn’t believe any of them, after the Fort Hood Massacre, Fast and Furious, Bengazhi, and Sandy Hook cover-ups!
Trust the Republican will have the “balls” to let it happen, and see how the Liberal/Socialist Democrats swim in the thick broth Obama himself, has been cooking…
Speaker Boehner and the Republicans must show our Nation that they “do have the courage” to defend its citiznes against this Socialist Mob that is running our Country. Otherwise, move aside and make room for more coregeous Public Servants.
THIS IS THE LAST OPPORTUNIT REPUBLICANS HAVE TO PUT THEIR MONEY WHERE THEY MOUTH IS! IF THE BUCKLE AGAIN, BETTER DESBAND THE PARTY AND GO HOME…
February 26, 2013 @ 10:53 am
We have, once again, arrived at a moment in history where the “truth” can be defined as “THAT WHICH YOU CAN MAKE OTHER PEOPLE BELIEVE”. This is why control of the media is control of the populace.
The methodology for creating that belief is repetition. Say something enough times and it becomes, for tens of millions of people, the “truth”!
Thus we explain the socialist/democrat ability to say something one day, say something totally different the next and still claim to be telling the “truth”. To those people, the “truth” is what they say it is, at the exact moment they say it. Facts don’t matter…. All that matters is what the definition of “is”, is, when they tell you what it is!
February 26, 2013 @ 10:58 am
Save money by having fewer agents terrorize five-year-olds in wheelchairs and checking seasoned citizens for contraband in their Depends! What actually have they discovered, nail files, shampoo? Homeland security should be defunded and the idiots running be sent to sensitivity training by Taliban reeducators, enough nonsense coming from people from the very top to the psychophants (no misspelling) who blindly follow the incompetant.
At the bottom of this wepage is a box “Stop Child Predators”, that group seems to have a home at the TSA, claiming they have privileges that would otherwise be criminal actions against another person. Fire the lot!
Then we can move onto Justice, Labor, and EPA, there seems to be way too much dead wood, that is if it ever lived, that can be cleared out since their function is self-service not public service.
February 26, 2013 @ 10:59 am
WOW, a 2% cut = 25% fewer this, 50% fewer that, etc.
I never realized how far they must have been able to stretch/leverage that 2% for all of us taxpayers, AWESOME !
February 26, 2013 @ 11:05 am
It’s just seem strange to me that when the Democrates are confronted with Medicare, Social Securty, Welfare and Unemployment fraud, we’re told it’s just a drop in the bucket compared to the rest of the budget, or the pretend budget. When the same amount is being mentioned in the sequestration, it’s the end of man-kind as we know it. They have yet to understand the concept the NO actual money is being cut. The only thing being cut is the anticapated INCREASE. We will be spending MORE next year than this year. GOP,don’t fall for Obama ****. This is HIS sequestration. Make him own it.
February 26, 2013 @ 11:08 am
I doubt she can even believe what she says herself.
Most of O’s administration must be at the doctor often from choking on words they really don’t want to say…
And then there are the spin meisters (is that a word?) who are so good at their jobs that their clothing is hiding four more limbs and their homes heavy with webs of deceit…
February 26, 2013 @ 11:20 am
Typical liberal insanity a cut to an increase is a disaster in the making. Hopefully, the Republicans will hold firm. Lets not forget we’re talking peanuts in the scheme of things. I’m very interested to see what their going to do come the end of March when the government once again runs out of money.
February 26, 2013 @ 11:23 am
Why cant obama do what he promised during his campaign and take care of the American People? The sequester cuts will. I think, be over a 10 year period. obama is trying to do anything to cover up the Bengazhi incident, Fast and Furious, and why his UNCLE has a business in the U.S. and he is ILLEGAL! I think all illegals should be deported. They can apply for citizenship the way everyone else has done. Why should they get any favors?
napolitano should be the third to resign, behind obama and holder. That would save a bunch of money.
February 26, 2013 @ 12:52 pm
I would say Biden needs to resign, but why get rid of the court jester?
February 26, 2013 @ 12:08 pm
We are supposed to believe the borders will not be as safe? They will go from wide open to extra wide open? Ha ha ha ha ha ha ! My sides are splitting!
February 26, 2013 @ 12:16 pm
The Cloward–Piven strategy is a political strategy outlined in 1966 by American sociologists and political activists Richard Cloward and Frances Fox Piven that called for overloading the U.S. public welfare system in order to precipitate a crisis that would lead to a replacement of the welfare system with a national system of “a guaranteed annual income and thus an end to poverty”.
The two were critical of the public welfare system, and their strategy called for overloading that system to force a different set of policies to address poverty. They stated that many Americans who were eligible for welfare were not receiving benefits, and that a welfare enrollment drive would strain local budgets, precipitating a crisis at the state and local levels that would be a wake-up call for the federal government, particularly the Democratic Party, thus forcing it to implement a national solution to poverty.
Hmm could this be the “crisis” DHS bought 1.6 BILLION rounds of hollow-point ammo for?