States that will be Most Affected by Sequester

Across-the-board budget cuts are all set to take place on March 1 since Congress has done nothing to avert the scheduled sequester. Although the cuts will affect the entire nation, certain states will feel the hit much worse than others.

Although the debate over the $1.2 trillion in automatic spending cuts has been waged for months, just a quarter of Americans have been closely following it, according to a Washington Post-Pew poll. This is a far cry from the concern surrounding the fiscal cliff when another Post-Pew poll revealed that approximately 40% of people said they were following the negotiations very closely.

The spending cuts are evenly split between defense and non-defense discretionary domestic spending. While some entitlements like Social Security and Medicaid are exempt, spending on programs for economic development, vocational education aid to states and the Department of Health and Human Services’ Head Start Program, are all fair game.

States with a large number of military jobs or that rely more heavily on certain government programs will really feel the pain of the sequester. For instance, the military readiness of Virginia and Maryland will be disproportionately affected. However, Pennsylvania will mostly be hit on funding for child care services.

Using the White House’s report outlining how cuts would hit each state, Business Insider compiled a list of the 11 states that will be hit the worst when the cuts are implemented.

(Note: The following cuts do not represent the entirety of the affect that the sequester has on each state, just the biggest hits)

Texas

Dallas

Money lost: $67.8 million in education funding

Jobs/services: 52,000 Department of Defense employees will be furloughed. Head Start services will be reduced for 4,800 children.

New York

Manhattan

Money lost: $1 million in funds to respond to infectious diseases and natural disasters like Hurricane Sandy. Health departments will lose $2.7 million in HIV testing funds.

California

San Francisco

Money: Approximately $87.6 million in funding for primary and secondary education will be lost.

Jobs/services: 64,000 civilian defense workers will be furloughed and 1,210 teacher and aide jobs are at risk.

Virginia

CIA headquarters in Langley, Va.

Money: The Army will cut base funding by $146 million and the Air Force will cut operations by $8 million.

Jobs/services: 90,000 civilian defense workers will be furloughed.

Maryland

Baltimore

Money: The Army will cut base funding by $95 million; the Air Force will cut operations by $10 million and the Navy will lose $9 million in funding for a project.

Jobs/services: 46,000 civilian defense employees will be furloughed.

Florida

Miami

Money: $54.5 million decline in funding for primary and secondary education and a $3.8 million decrease in funding to provide meals for seniors. The Head Start program will lose funding for 2,700 children.

Jobs/services: 31,000 civilian military workers will be furloughed. Job-search assistance will be slashed, resulting in almost 79,000 fewer people receiving assistance to look for employment.

Pennsylvania

Pittsburgh

Money: Up to $1.2 million in federal funds could be lost.

Jobs/service: Funding for child care services will be disproportionately hit for Pennsylvania, meaning 1,800 disadvantaged and vulnerable children might not have access to care.

Ohio

Columbus

Money: $1.8 million in funding for job-search assistance programs will be cut and public health funding will be cut by $1.1 million.

Jobs/services: Cuts to job-search assistance programs will result in 57,000 fewer people receiving help in finding employment. The loss of grants to help prevent and treat substance abuse will mean that substance abuse facilities will admit 4,200 fewer people.

Illinois

Chicago

Money: $33.4 million in funding for primary and secondary education will be cut, as well as $587,000 in justice assistance grants.

Michigan

Detroit

Money: $1.8 million will be lost for programs that provide meals to seniors, which is more than larger states like New York.

Alaska

Anchorage

Money: $2.1 million will be lost in grants for fish and wild-life protection. Only Texas will see a larger cut in those grants.

Read more:

Sequester Impact on States Detailed in New White House Reports - Huffington Post

Sequester: States Most Affected by Cuts - Business Insider