NOTE: The New York Time’s article has a great interactive graphic at it’s top that we aren’t able to import.
The following article by Margot Sanger-Katz was posted on the New York Times website November 29, 2017:
If Congress passes its tax bill and then takes no other action, the funding for dozens of federal spending programs could be cut — in many cases to nothing — beginning next year.
The cuts would be automatic, the consequence of a 2010 law that Congress passed to keep itself from increasing the deficit too much.
The biggest program affected would be Medicare, the health insurance program for older people and the disabled. But the law allows Medicare to take only a relatively small cut: 4 percent. Other programs have no such protection. According to the Congressional Budget Office, the deficit increase from the tax bill would be large enough — $1.5 trillion over 10 years — that spending for the unprotected programs would be reduced to zero next year and nearly zero over the next nine years.
Each bubble above represents the size of an automatic budget cut that could take place next year.
The Statutory Pay-as-You-Go Act of 2010, or Paygo, is an Obama-era update of a rule first enacted under President George H.W. Bush. It requires that legislation that adds to the federal deficit be paid for with spending cuts, increases in revenue or other offsets
With the exception of Social Security, the post office and many income-based programs like unemployment benefits and food stamps, most mandatory spending programs — those automatically funded on a continuing basis, rather than appropriated year by year — are subject to Paygo. In 2018, for example, the law would claim $14 billion in various farm aid programs; $1.7 billion for Social Services block grants, which states use to help fund foster care, Meals on Wheels and other programs; and $69 million for the Black Lung Disability Trust Fund.
Congress has found a way to slip around the rule in the past by including an exception in legislation from the Paygo cuts. But because of the special budget process Republicans are using for tax overhaul this year, the tax bill itself can’t include such an exception. Congress could prevent the cuts by passing separate legislation by the end of the year, but that measure would need 60 votes in the Senate, requiring several Democrats to support it. The cuts also require action from the White House, though the law does not give it much discretion to avoid them.
Certain government programs receive a mixture of mandatory and appropriated funds, so the mandatory cuts won’t eliminate them entirely. The Women, Infants and Children program, which provides food assistance, gets most of its $6.2 billion from a fund that is not subject to Paygo cuts. So even though it might be subject to a $1 million cut, that would only be a tiny fraction of its entire funding. Some programs have special rules. One fund, for military retiree benefits, will still get paid even if it gets zeroed out under the automatic cuts.
Given the popularity of many of the programs subject to the Paygo cuts, it’s possible lawmakers may find a way to avert them. But if they do not, here is a list of programs that, by law, would lose their funding.
Agency | Account | Sequesterable amount in 2018, in millions | |
---|---|---|---|
1 | Legislative Branch | Congressional Use of Foreign Currency, Senate | 6 |
2 | Legislative Branch | Congressional Use of Foreign Currency, House of Representatives | 1 |
3 | Legislative Branch | Judiciary Office Building Development and Operations Fund | 17 |
4 | Legislative Branch | Government Publishing Office Business Operations Revolving Fund | 2 |
5 | Legislative Branch | Other Legislative Branch Boards and Commissions | 1 |
6 | Judicial Branch | Salaries and Expenses | 85 |
7 | Judicial Branch | Judiciary Filing Fees | 225 |
8 | Judicial Branch | Registry Administration | 1 |
9 | Department of Agriculture | Office of the Secretary | 13 |
10 | Department of Agriculture | Office of the Chief Economist | 1 |
11 | Department of Agriculture | Miscellaneous Contributed Funds | 2 |
12 | Department of Agriculture | Extension Activities | 50 |
13 | Department of Agriculture | Integrated Activities | 100 |
14 | Department of Agriculture | Salaries and Expenses, Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service | 285 |
15 | Department of Agriculture | Miscellaneous Trust Funds | 1 |
16 | Department of Agriculture | Expenses and Refunds, Inspection and Grading of Farm Products | 1 |
17 | Department of Agriculture | Limitation on Inspection and Weighing Services Expenses | 44 |
18 | Department of Agriculture | Marketing Services | 30 |
19 | Department of Agriculture | Payments to States and Possessions | 85 |
20 | Department of Agriculture | Perishable Agricultural Commodities Act Fund | 11 |
21 | Department of Agriculture | Funds for Strengthening Markets, Income, and Supply (section 32) | 1,183 |
22 | Department of Agriculture | Expenses and Refunds, Inspection and Grading of Farm Products | 6 |
23 | Department of Agriculture | Milk Market Orders Assessment Fund | 61 |
24 | Department of Agriculture | Federal Crop Insurance Corporation Fund | 56 |
25 | Department of Agriculture | Agricultural Credit Insurance Fund Program Account | 1 |
26 | Department of Agriculture | Commodity Credit Corporation Export Loans Program Account | 5 |
27 | Department of Agriculture | Commodity Credit Corporation Fund | 13,698 |
28 | Department of Agriculture | Pima Agriculture Cotton Trust Fund | 16 |
29 | Department of Agriculture | Agriculture Wool Apparel Manufacturers Trust Fund | 30 |
30 | Department of Agriculture | Watershed Rehabilitation Program | 66 |
31 | Department of Agriculture | Farm Security and Rural Investment Programs | 3,862 |
32 | Department of Agriculture | Rural Energy for America Program | 50 |
33 | Department of Agriculture | Rural Microenterprise Investment Program Account | 3 |
34 | Department of Agriculture | Energy Assistance Payments | 15 |
35 | Department of Agriculture | Biorefinery Assistance Program Account | 20 |
36 | Department of Agriculture | Salaries and Expenses, Foreign Agricultural Service | 1 |
37 | Department of Agriculture | Supplemental Nutrition Assistance Program | 145 |
38 | Department of Agriculture | Commodity Assistance Program | 21 |
39 | Department of Agriculture | Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children (WIC) | 1 |
40 | Department of Agriculture | Child Nutrition Programs | 61 |
41 | Department of Agriculture | Stewardship Contracting Product Sales | 12 |
42 | Department of Agriculture | Forest Service Permanent Appropriations | 222 |
43 | Department of Agriculture | Land Acquisition | 2 |
44 | Department of Agriculture | Forest Service Trust Funds | 99 |
45 | Department of Commerce | Current Surveys and Programs | 20 |
46 | Department of Commerce | Damage Assessment and Restoration Revolving Fund | 16 |
47 | Department of Commerce | Promote and Develop Fishery Products and Research Pertaining to American Fisheries | 156 |
48 | Department of Commerce | Limited Access System Administration Fund | 13 |
49 | Department of Commerce | Environmental Improvement and Restoration Fund | 2 |
50 | Department of Commerce | Fisheries Enforcement Asset Forfeiture Fund | 4 |
51 | Department of Commerce | North Pacific Fishery Observer Fund | 4 |
52 | Department of Commerce | First Responder Network Authority | 4 |
53 | Department of Defense — Military Programs | Concurrent Receipt Accrual Payments to the Military Retirement Fund | 7,513 |
54 | Department of Defense — Military Programs | Miscellaneous Special Funds | 18 |
55 | Department of Defense — Military Programs | National Defense Stockpile Transaction Fund | 231 |
56 | Department of Defense — Military Programs | Surcharge Collections, Sales of Commissary Stores, Defense | 292 |
57 | Department of Defense — Military Programs | Other DOD Trust Funds | 11 |
58 | Department of Education | Rehabilitation Services | 3,453 |
59 | Department of Education | Higher Education | 255 |
60 | Department of Education | Student Financial Assistance | 1 |
61 | Department of Education | TEACH Grant Program Account | 25 |
62 | Department of Education | Student Financial Assistance Debt Collection | 10 |
63 | Department of Energy | Payments to States under Federal Power Act | 5 |
64 | Department of Energy | Bonneville Power Administration Fund | 135 |
65 | Department of Energy | Western Area Power Administration, Borrowing Authority, Recovery Act. | 1,189 |
66 | Department of Health and Human Services | Revolving Fund for Certification and Other Services | 9 |
67 | Department of Health and Human Services | Health Resources and Services | 19 |
68 | Department of Health and Human Services | CDC-wide Activities and Program Support | 61 |
69 | Department of Health and Human Services | Affordable Insurance Exchange Grants | 17 |
70 | Department of Health and Human Services | Program Management | 1,866 |
71 | Department of Health and Human Services | State Grants and Demonstrations | 86 |
72 | Department of Health and Human Services | Risk Adjustment Program Payments | 6,361 |
73 | Department of Health and Human Services | Transitional Reinsurance Program | 166 |
74 | Department of Health and Human Services | Federal Supplementary Medical Insurance Trust Fund | 238 |
75 | Department of Health and Human Services | Medicare(cuts capped at 4 percent) | 25,483 |
76 | Department of Health and Human Services | Federal Hospital Insurance Trust Fund | 715 |
77 | Department of Health and Human Services | Medicare Prescription Drug Account, Federal Supplementary Insurance | 14 |
78 | Department of Health and Human Services | Health Care Fraud and Abuse Control Account | 1,352 |
79 | Department of Health and Human Services | Payments to States for Child Support Enforcement and Family Support Programs | 1 |
80 | Department of Health and Human Services | Promoting Safe and Stable Families | 345 |
81 | Department of Health and Human Services | Social Services Block Grant | 1,700 |
82 | Department of Health and Human Services | Payments for Foster Care and Permanency | 21 |
83 | Department of Health and Human Services | Temporary Assistance for Needy Families | 26 |
84 | Department of Health and Human Services | Children’s Research and Technical Assistance | 53 |
85 | Department of Health and Human Services | Prevention and Public Health Fund | 900 |
86 | Department of Health and Human Services | Pregnancy Assistance Fund | 25 |
87 | Department of Health and Human Services | Office for Civil Rights | 10 |
88 | Department of Health and Human Services | Miscellaneous Trust Funds | 12 |
89 | Department of Health and Human Services | Office of Inspector General | 12 |
90 | Department of Homeland Security | Operations and Support, Citizenship and Immigration Services | 4,077 |
91 | Department of Homeland Security | Procurement, Construction, and Improvements | 250 |
92 | Department of Homeland Security | Operations and Support, Transportation Security Administration | 5 |
93 | Department of Homeland Security | Operations and Support, ICE | 318 |
94 | Department of Homeland Security | Operations and Support, U.S. Customs and Border Protection | 1,344 |
95 | Department of Homeland Security | Payments to Wool Manufacturers | 17 |
96 | Department of Homeland Security | APEC Business Travel Card | 1 |
97 | Department of Homeland Security | Electronic System for Travel Authorization | 62 |
98 | Department of Homeland Security | Refunds, Transfers, and Expenses of Operation, Puerto Rico | 93 |
99 | Department of Homeland Security | 9-11 Response and Biometric Exit Account | 116 |
100 | Department of Homeland Security | U.S. Customs Refunds, Transfers and Expenses, Unclaimed and Abandoned Goods | 3 |
101 | Department of Homeland Security | Boat Safety | 111 |
102 | Department of Homeland Security | Maritime Oil Spill Programs | 101 |
103 | Department of Homeland Security | National Flood Insurance Fund | 1,553 |
104 | Department of Housing and Urban Development | Housing Trust Fund | 220 |
105 | Department of Housing and Urban Development | Rental Housing Assistance Fund | 2 |
106 | Department of the Interior | Helium Fund | 11 |
107 | Department of the Interior | Range Improvements | 10 |
108 | Department of the Interior | Miscellaneous Permanent Payment Accounts | 37 |
109 | Department of the Interior | Permanent Operating Funds | 144 |
110 | Department of the Interior | Payments to States in Lieu of Coal Fee Receipts | 114 |
111 | Department of the Interior | Abandoned Mine Reclamation Fund | 207 |
112 | Department of the Interior | Water and Related Resources | 1 |
113 | Department of the Interior | Lower Colorado River Basin Development Fund | 4 |
114 | Department of the Interior | Upper Colorado River Basin Fund | 3 |
115 | Department of the Interior | Colorado River Dam Fund, Boulder Canyon Project | 8 |
116 | Department of the Interior | Utah Reclamation Mitigation and Conservation Account | 9 |
117 | Department of the Interior | Federal Aid in Wildlife Restoration | 775 |
118 | Department of the Interior | National Wildlife Refuge Fund | 9 |
119 | Department of the Interior | Migratory Bird Conservation Account | 68 |
120 | Department of the Interior | North American Wetlands Conservation Fund | 13 |
121 | Department of the Interior | Recreation Enhancement Fee Program, FWS | 1 |
122 | Department of the Interior | Sport Fish Restoration | 425 |
123 | Department of the Interior | Construction (and Major Maintenance) | 20 |
124 | Department of the Interior | Land Acquisition and State Assistance | 120 |
125 | Department of the Interior | Other Permanent Appropriations | 8 |
126 | Department of the Interior | Recreation Fee Permanent Appropriations | 36 |
127 | Department of the Interior | Operation and Maintenance of Quarters | 3 |
128 | Department of the Interior | Miscellaneous Permanent Appropriations | 15 |
129 | Department of the Interior | Mineral Leasing and Associated Payments | 1,490 |
130 | Department of the Interior | National Petroleum Reserve, Alaska | 5 |
131 | Department of the Interior | National Forests Fund, Payment to States | 8 |
132 | Department of the Interior | Leases of Lands Acquired for Flood Control, Navigation, and Allied Purposes | 43 |
133 | Department of the Interior | States Share from Certain Gulf of Mexico Leases | 272 |
134 | Department of the Interior | Geothermal Lease Revenues, Payment to Counties | 3 |
135 | Department of the Interior | National Indian Gaming Commission, Gaming Activity Fees | 19 |
136 | Department of the Interior | Natural Resource Damage Assessment Fund | 6 |
137 | Department of Justice | Fees and Expenses of Witnesses | 270 |
138 | Department of Justice | Assets Forfeiture Fund | 1,562 |
139 | Department of Justice | United States Victims of State Sponsored Terrorism Fund | 3 |
140 | Department of Justice | Diversion Control Fee Account | 414 |
141 | Department of Justice | Commissary Funds, Federal Prisons (Trust Revolving Fund) | 71 |
142 | Department of Justice | Public Safety Officer Benefits | 10 |
143 | Department of Justice | Crime Victims Fund | 13,500 |
144 | Department of Justice | Domestic Trafficking Victims’ Fund | 1 |
145 | Department of Labor | Training and Employment Services | 150 |
146 | Department of Labor | State Unemployment Insurance and Employment Service Operations | 18 |
147 | Department of Labor | Federal Unemployment Benefits and Allowances | 790 |
148 | Department of Labor | Unemployment Trust Fund | 100 |
149 | Department of Labor | Pension Benefit Guaranty Corporation Fund | 129 |
150 | Department of Labor | Special Benefits for Disabled Coal Miners | 5 |
151 | Department of Labor | Administrative Expenses, Energy Employees Occupational Illness Compensation Fund | 144 |
152 | Department of Labor | Black Lung Disability Trust Fund | 69 |
153 | Department of Labor | H-1 B and L Fraud Prevention and Detection | 45 |
154 | Department of State | Educational and Cultural Exchange Programs | 5 |
155 | Department of State | H&L Fraud Prevention and Detection Fee | 45 |
156 | Department of Transportation | Essential Air Service and Rural Airport Improvement Fund | 119 |
157 | Department of Transportation | Aviation Insurance Revolving Fund | 1 |
158 | Department of Transportation | Federal-aid Highways | 739 |
159 | Department of Transportation | Emergency Preparedness Grants | 28 |
160 | Department of the Treasury | Terrorism Insurance Program | 3 |
161 | Department of the Treasury | GSE Mortgage-backed Securities Purchase Program Account | 2 |
162 | Department of the Treasury | Grants for Specified Energy Property in Lieu of Tax Credits, Recovery Act | 300 |
163 | Department of the Treasury | Small Business Lending Fund Program Account | 13 |
164 | Department of the Treasury | Presidential Election Campaign Fund | 50 |
165 | Department of the Treasury | Financial Research Fund | 62 |
166 | Department of the Treasury | Treasury Forfeiture Fund | 1,292 |
167 | Department of the Treasury | Capital Magnet Fund, Community Development Financial Institutions | 119 |
168 | Department of the Treasury | Salaries and Expenses | 19 |
169 | Department of the Treasury | Payment of Government Losses in Shipment | 1 |
170 | Department of the Treasury | Continued Dumping and Subsidy Offset | 40 |
171 | Department of the Treasury | Cheyenne River Sioux Tribe Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Restoration Trust Fund | 1 |
172 | Department of the Treasury | Gulf Coast Restoration Trust Fund | 156 |
173 | Department of the Treasury | Payment Where Certain Tax Credits Exceed Liability for Corporate Tax | 856 |
174 | Department of the Treasury | Build America Bond Payments, Recovery Act | 3,903 |
175 | Department of the Treasury | Payment to Issuer of Qualified Zone Academy Bonds | 62 |
176 | Department of the Treasury | Payment to Issuer of Qualified School Construction Bonds | 795 |
177 | Department of the Treasury | Payment to Issuer of New Clean Renewable Energy Bonds | 40 |
178 | Department of the Treasury | Payment to Issuer of Qualified Energy Conservation Bonds | 39 |
179 | Department of the Treasury | Payment Where Small Business Health Insurance Tax Credit Exceeds Liability for Tax | 14 |
180 | Department of the Treasury | IRS Miscellaneous Retained Fees | 27 |
181 | Department of the Treasury | Informant Payments | 54 |
182 | Department of the Treasury | Private Collection Agent Program | 60 |
183 | Corps of Engineers — Civil Works | Revolving Fund | 25 |
184 | Corps of Engineers — Civil Works | South Dakota Terrestrial Wildlife Habitat Restoration Trust Fund | 3 |
185 | Corps of Engineers — Civil Works | Coastal Wetlands Restoration Trust Fund | 78 |
186 | Corps of Engineers — Civil Works | Rivers and Harbors Contributed Funds | 213 |
187 | Corps of Engineers — Civil Works | Permanent Appropriations | 20 |
188 | Environmental Protection Agency | Reregistration and Expedited Processing Revolving Fund | 31 |
189 | Environmental Protection Agency | Damage Assessment and Restoration Revolving Fund | 2 |
190 | Environmental Protection Agency | Hazardous Substance Superfund | 33 |
191 | Environmental Protection Agency | Leaking Underground Storage Tank Trust Fund | 100 |
192 | Executive Office of the President | Spectrum Relocation Fund | 856 |
193 | Executive Office of the President | Disposal of Surplus Real and Related Personal Property | 9 |
194 | Executive Office of the President | Expenses of Transportation Audit Contracts and Contract Administration | 13 |
195 | International Assistance Programs | Foreign Military Sales Trust Fund | 175 |
196 | National Aeronautics and Space Administration | Science, Space, and Technology Education Trust Fund | 1 |
197 | National Science Foundation | Education and Human Resources | 100 |
198 | Office of Personnel Management | Flexible Benefits Plan Reserve | 12 |
199 | Office of Personnel Management | Civil Service Retirement and Disability Fund | 55 |
200 | Office of Personnel Management | Employees Life Insurance Fund | 2 |
201 | Office of Personnel Management | Employees and Retired Employees Health Benefits Funds | 6 |
202 | Appalachian Regional Commission | Appalachian Regional Commission | 4 |
203 | Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection | Bureau of Consumer Financial Protection Fund | 630 |
204 | Commodity Futures Trading Commission | Customer Protection Fund | 1 |
205 | District of Columbia | District of Columbia Crime Victims Compensation Fund | 6 |
206 | District of Columbia | District of Columbia Judicial Retirement and Survivors Annuity Fund | 1 |
207 | District of Columbia | District of Columbia Federal Pension Fund | 20 |
208 | Equal Employment Opportunity Commission | EEOC Education, Technical Assistance, and Training Revolving Fund | 2 |
209 | Farm Credit System Insurance Corporation | Farm Credit System Insurance Fund | 4 |
210 | Federal Deposit Insurance Corporation | Orderly Liquidation Fund | 1,867 |
211 | Federal Financial Institutions Examination Council | Registry Fees | 4 |
212 | Morris K. Udall and Stewart L. Udall Foundation | Environmental Dispute Resolution Fund | 1 |
213 | National Archives and Records Administration | National Archives Trust Fund | 1 |
214 | National Endowment for the Arts | Gifts and Donations, National Endowment for the Arts | 1 |
215 | Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund | Patient-Centered Outcomes Research Trust Fund | 626 |
216 | Railroad Retirement Board | Railroad Unemployment Insurance Trust Fund | 139 |
217 | Securities and Exchange Commission | Securities and Exchange Commission Reserve Fund | 75 |
218 | Securities and Exchange Commission | Investor Protection Fund | 18 |
219 | Tennessee Valley Authority | Tennessee Valley Authority Fund | 441 |
220 | United States Holocaust Memorial Museum | Holocaust Memorial Museum | 48 |
221 | Vietnam Education Foundation | Vietnam Debt Repayment Fund | 5 |
222 | Affordable Housing Program | Affordable Housing Program | 360 |
223 | Corporation for Travel Promotion | Travel Promotion Fund | 100 |
224 | Electric Reliability Organization | Electric Reliability Organization | 100 |
225 | National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers | National Association of Registered Agents and Brokers | 49 |
226 | Public Company Accounting Oversight Board | Public Company Accounting Oversight Board | 259 |
227 | Securities Investor Protection Corporation | Securities Investor Protection Corporation | 202 |
228 | Standard Setting Body | Payment to Standard Setting Body | 27 |