About $85 Billion in Federal Spending Reductions are set to go into effect for the remainder of fiscal year 2013 if Congress fails to negotiate a compromise by this Friday, March 1st.

At this point, hope is diminishing that both sides can reach an agreement because each party has prepared their own version of a legislative solution as a public relations mechanism to avert blame to the other side. The House and Senate are expected to vote on these various solutions Wednesday or Thursday, but neither is expected to pass.

In the meantime, the White House has prepared some documents outlining what the cuts would mean to each state. Click here for the Michigan breakdown. In addition to this information, cuts to formula based programs like Community Development Block Grants and the HOME investment Partnership Program are estimated to lose 6 percent of their funding across the board.

The League has been communicating with the National League of Cities regularly on this issue and the impact it would have for communities. Click here to read the statement from the NLC. And, if you have not yet done so, please take this opportunity to contact your Congressional Representatives and tell them to come up with a balanced, well-thought out approach to sequestration. Click here to find contact information for your federal delegation.

Summer Minnick is the Director of Policy Initiatives and Federal Affairs. She can be reached at 517-908-0301 or [email protected].