By Adam Peck and Melissa Boteach, Guest Blogger
Melissa Boteach is the Director of the Half in Ten Campaign at the Center for American Progress Action Fund.
In constructing the sequester — a series of automatic, across-the-board spending cuts that will go into effect unless Democrats and Republicans can come to an agreement on the federal budget — lawmakers intended to design cuts that would be equally painful for Democrats and Republicans, by mandating cuts to both social programs and defense spending.
But the reality of the sequester cuts, which will begin taking effect this Friday unless Congress acts, is that they will actually have devastating effects on all Americans. Sequestration would have a disproportionate effect on some of the nation’s most vulnerable populations, particularly women and children, while still retaining wasteful military spending on some outdated projects. Here’s how the numbers stack up:
via How The Looming Sequester Will Have A Disproportionate Impact On Women And Children | ThinkProgress.