How to sidestep sequestration
The March 1 deadline is approaching for Congress either to reach a budget agreement or force the government to begin cutting programs, in a process known as sequestration. Analysts increasingly fear that a compromise will not be reached to avoid automatic, across-the-board cuts affecting everything from Defense Department outlays to discretionary domestic spending. Budgeting expert Linda J. Bilmes, Daniel Patrick Moynihan Senior Lecturer in Public Policy at the Harvard Kennedy School, spoke with Gazette staff writer Colleen Walsh about the looming sequestration, and offered suggestions on how to fix the nation’s rudderless budget process. Her recent books include “The Three Trillion Dollar War: The True Cost of the Iraq Conflict” (with Joseph E. Stiglitz, 2008) and “The People Factor: Strengthening America by Investing in Public Service” (with W. Scott Gould, Brookings, 2009). GAZETTE: Can you define sequestration? BILMES: Sequestration is a process of making automatic, across-the-board budget cuts. The currently scheduled sequester would...