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Congress and the administration should work together unilaterally to reach a solution instead of one upping each other. If corporate, business or academia teams worked like this, everything would collapse. Perhaps some true leadership is needed!! The budget cuts should come from the congressional and administrative pockets instead of those who are living paycheck to paycheck. I bet an agreement would have been reached long ago! Get it TOGETHER Washington!!!!

why are the American people putting up with this. Why not put impeachment pressure on these politicians and force cooperation. This is America, we are supposed to be the leaders of the free world. Is this how we demonstrate our superiority? 90% of the cuts need to be in goverment reduction anyway, it has become an out of control monster and this latest fiasco is just another example.

Tom my question is that i am not an actual government employee, i am a contract worker that works in an army office. will i lose hours or my job or is that contract already funded? will it stay funded?

The white house web site shows a summary of the president's last spending cut plan as proposed to congress. The plan lists "entitlement reform" but does not give specifics. Now that sequestration seems inevitable, how will the "across the board" discretionary cuts affect military retirement, if at all? Also, does "entitlement reform" in the presidents proposed plan on the table include cuts in military retirement and other benefits?

If these cuts will be so devastating...why is the stock market going up?

There is so much lying and dishonesty going on here. There are no cuts in current spending. All that is happening is the amount of spending increases are being reduced.

I live on disability SS and have Medicare...I understand these programs are due to be cut under the sequester. Is that true?

Our agency has been told 12 to 14 days furlough between May and October. My question is since our agency will be rotating employee furlough days what will happen if some employees are furloughed but Congress comes up with a budget and other employees are not then required to furlough?

Thanks, Sean McGruder for your question on schools. Tom just answered it on the air. He'll take one round at answers later this afternoon on CNN TV and meanwhile, go to cnn.com/asktom for more questions and answers.

t lobenstein: Will sequester affect the administrative and operating budgets of Congress? Will congressional staffers be furloughed? Will printing of franked mail and speeches by Senate and House members to empty chambers be cut back? And so on and so on and so on.

There are two other concerns that I haven't seen being talked about: What potentially is going to happen on March 27th when the current continuing resolution will expire, when as federal employees we will more than likely already be notified by that point of the administrative furlough, if Congress can't agree on that them there could be the threat of an additional emergency furlough and Goverment shutdown. This already is a hard thing to swallow losing both pay and benefits with the furlough but then to have to have the additional worth of possibly not getting paid at all for an undisclosed period of time. It has been since 2009 that Congress has passed a budget, so while this emergency furlough and the threat of shutdown and being unemployed isn't new, it just makes it tougher to take in addition to the administrative furlough for the rest of FY13 (and beyond).

The second issue that I have is that this isn't just for FY13, but this could potentially continue way beyond this. These cuts are over a 10 year period. So after the end of FY13, could be this be a permanent or an even longer term situation, because in FY14 and beyond they have to make cuts too.

How responsible do you feel CNN are to make President Obama comments like "I'm not a Dictator" a tag line, why doesn't Jessica challage POTUS on his comment that since we are not in the Iraq War and soon leaving Afghanistan, he's doing spending saving when Bush mandate the end of those War was to be Dec 15, 2011, why don't you guys point out the Senate Democrats voted down President Obama Sequester alternative yesterday.

This past Election hurt my Love for CNN, I voted for President Barack Obama both elections and I'm proud of it, myself as a black man did my duty to Abraham Lincoln, Martin Luther King Jr. and other Civil Right Fighter to seize the moment when it comes to putting a Black American in the history books for President. But CNN feeds partisan weakness in Democrats that will exchange continuing Black American lack of responsibility. I still watch Reliable Sources, State of the Union, Erin, and when you guys can summon up enough honor to have John King and Will Cain (by the way you should build a show behind those 2, I know Will is with the Blaze).

I did not name my favorite CNN Anchors I loved to watching everyday but no longer, because they've sold themselves to the fear Barack Obama would not be reelected again. I never knew my Generation could become worst then the nonproductive Generation called the Baby Boomers, sad to say it looks that way. Please give me a response to where CNN hardcore Journalistic ethics, I don't know how far you guys are willing to go to compete with MSNBC but I would Love a WARNING.

Will my military retirement, which is being processed, be affected by the sequester?

I'm not confused at all. It's another BIG LIE, that's all. Government workers are reporting that they have already found millions in waste and duplication that could be cut without touching anyone's job. But, they've been ORDERED TO IGNORE THAT and to get rid of people, instead. Gee. Wonder who ordered THAT?! Never mind. I know who...OJERK and his Marxist minions. LIARS. Every one of them. And...Your golf week-end with Tiger cost the pay of 341 Federal workers, Ojerk! And, that's not counting Michelle's little jaunt at the same time to Colorado with the private ski lessons for her and your children. But, you "care" so much, don't you?! LIAR! Why don't you report THAT, CNN???!!! Again, never mind...I KNOW why!

Real spending is up over a third since pre-crisis levels in 2007. Enacted spending (including both wars) from 2007 was $2.73 trillion, last year it was $3.63 trillion. It went up dramatically in 2008-2009 in response to the economic crisis under both Bush and Obama's administrations. This spending never went back down and we are still borrowing over a trillion a year. With that being said is the President's position that we cannot possibly reduce spending without a corresponding increase in revenue reasonable?

A simpler question would be if these deep cuts actually go through how much less money will the federal government spend this year as compared to last year?

I just filed my tax return on Tuesday. Is the sequester going to stop/delay my return from being processed?

Will corporations see less tax credits and tax subsidies?

We are all confused... Didn't Romney and the GOP run on the idea of closing loopholes for the last 2 years? And now that the President is wanting to close loopholes they are against it? This seems schizophrenic. How can the President satisfy the GOP? Its looking like no matter what he does, they will be against it. Period.

why cant the 3 trillion budget be cut by 1% across the entire budget in first year with another 1% cut across the board each year. after 8 years we could achieve balance. baseline budgets would progressively get smaller year over year by 1% each agency department and benefit receiptants would be able to adjust to these small cuts. the huge benefit is that the budget would be a significantly positive trajectory and the global markets and businesses would react favotably cause the.US would have our fiscal house in order. why cant this work?

The reason why the sequester happened is because the GOP pledged their allegiance to Grover Norquist (who should be arrested and tried for treason). When they did that, they refused to do their job as mandated by Article I, Section 7 and 8 of the Constitution of the United States of America. What the GOP is doing is treasonous and fostering sedition in this nation. Why haven't any reporter challenged the GOP on the Constitutional reason for doing what they have been doing to the citizens of the USA?
http://www.archives.gov/exhibits/charters/constitution_transcript.htm
http://thinkprogress.org/politics/2013/03/02/1662271/the-dumbest-and-most-devastating-sequester-cuts/l

there's no budget last few years. How can 85B get cut?

Since Congress cannot cut their pay why not cut entitlements such as insurance and retirement? They should have the same insurance plans as other government workers and pay the same rates. Their retirement shoudl also be the same with a 5% match. Now, they get 6 figures and a yearly cost of living raise They surely do not deserve nor need this. I say start there to cut instead of the old, poor and the tax payer who is already over taxed. And when they do not show up for work or leave without doing their job, then they should be fired.

how will SSI benefits be effected...... will there be cuts and if so how much

The tongue can't claim nothing of what the teeth does.

No SS benefit cuts, It is just Obama trying to scare the people...

Watch this medley of Ryan videos all the way back to 2007, then tell me again how sequestration was the President's idea. Go ahead and watch, I'll wait: http://www.youtube.com/watch?feature=player_embedded&v=NYzjMs-6MAE

Why am i still seeing The Blue Angels practicing and the Yuma Air Show is still on for his weekend. Wasting a lot of money on Jet Fuel!!!

DO these budget cuts mean that the Air Force is going to do the same as the Army and Marines and stop offering tuition assistance for enlisted members?