Remember that the sequestration cuts, by law, are supposed to be “across the board.” Republicans have been asking that the decisions to cut not be “across the board,” but where it is most reasonable to make the cuts, and do less damage while still making required funding cuts. Democrats have refused that option. Never mind though, Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano makes her own law and in this case, according to the following information, the Border Patrol is being gutted. She also says our borders are secure.
Janet Napolitano
Begin Blogs for Border story:
Submitted by Velcro, crossposted at Conservative Observer AZ.
With the sequester cuts scheduled to go into effect next week, the Department of Homeland Security has decided to gut the Border Patrol.
You’ll recall that DHS Secretary Napolitano toured the Mexican border recently and announced that the “border is secure.” Apparently this means that funding can be cut, because it must not be needed.
The Border Patrol union website in the Tucson sector posted these comparisons between the hit the BP will take compared with port inspectors:
- Border Patrol agents number approximately 21,394.
- Port inspectors number approximately 21,790.
- Border Patrol agents have been targeted for $248 million in salary cuts.
- Port inspectors have been targeted for only $35 million in salary cuts.
These cuts include the long-expected cuts to AUO (administratively unavoidable overtime), which pays agents when their shift ends in the middle of an operation to get the bad guys. Local 2544 estimated the impact of these cuts to the individual agents:
- On about March 4th the union will receive a notice from the Agency. The notice will state that they are going todecertify AUO for all agents in 30 days. This means that we will lose our 25% premium pay and our FLSA around the first part of April.
- The Agency will also call for placing all agents on one (1) unpaid furlough day per pay period starting in April. That equals a 10% cut in your basic pay.
- With both of the above taking place, your pay will be cut about 40%.
Thanks! A commenter stated that Napolitano’s visit was obviously staged.
The sequester only reduces the increases in spending. Ther are no cuts. Obama & Company, if the sequester goes into effect, will pretend that there are massive cuts and they will in fact cut things like border patrol and the media will have the headlines blaming the Republicans for cuts that were only made because Obama wants to punish the Republicans for not raising taxes.
Jim at Asylum Watch recently posted..John Kerry’s Anti-American State Department
It reduces spending. Okay, lets see if you want the scenario that is playing in my household. I am a teacher. My pay has been cut and jobs have been cut as well. We tightened our belts. I took a job 90 miles away from my husband so this would work. Now, as a border patrol agent, his pay will be cut by 40% and he will not be able to transfer. As we are trying to tighten our belts even more, we looked at our biggest issues and have been paying off as much debt as possible. However, we can’t sell our house because no new agents can come in a buy it because of the sequester and if we could sell our house my husband now has a ninety mile commute everyday which just increases expenses we were trying to cut. Now, do you want to switch and take our cuts? My husband served his country for 8 years in the Air Force doing multiple tours in Iraq and Afghanistan. He continued to serve his country in the Border Patrol for the last five years. At the end of the day Washington, be it Republicans or Democrats, have increased their salaries while cutting ours. Rob from the less fortunate and give to the rich. Not a good deal in my line of thinking.