South Carolina & The Sequester: Who Will Be Affected?

COLUMBIA, S.C. (WOLO) — It appears $85 billion in spending cuts are coming. “My guess is at this point is, it might go in for a day or two and then Congress and the President will come up with some sort of temporary agreement,” says Dr. Bill Hauk, USC In the meantime the nation, including South Carolina, is bracing. Those immediately affected by the cuts include the military. “There’s approximately 11,000 civilians employed by the Department of Defense in South Carolina and they could be facing furloughs almost immediately,” says Hauk. Fort Jackson officials tell ABC Columbia News, the command has already taken appropriate planning measures. But, the effects trickle down all the way to shoppers and travelers. TSA workers, even air traffic controllers could also be furloughed. “Meaning, say, longer lines at airports to get through security,”says Hauk. Another area that will be affected, though not immediately, is education. “This is an area that the longer the sequester drags on, the bigger impact you are going to see,” says Hauk Students, specifically those attending Head Start and those with special needs, will lose program funding. “Most education programs will receive a 5% reduction in their funding levels beginning in the fall of next year,” says Jay Ragley of the South Carolina Department of Education. Some teacher salaries will also be lost. But, according to Ragley, because of a proposed additional $77 million by the state the impact in South Carolina may not be so bad. “Someone might go from being in a federally funded position to a state funded position, in which case it all washed out,” says Ragley But not everyone will be so lucky and experts say everyone should prepare for at least a slight change. “I don’t think any of us are going to escape the impact of this,” says Hauk.