IBJNews

  • Home

Federal cuts to hit Indiana jobless, National Guard

Associated Press
March 4, 2013
Keywords
Federal Government, Government, Government & Economic Development, Government services, Politics, Public Safety, Taxes
Back to TopCommentsE-mailPrint

Indiana agencies are cutting jobless benefits, furloughing National Guard members and losing food funds for the Women Infants and Children program because of the automatic federal budget cuts, officials said Monday.

The state will cut jobless benefits by 10.7 percent for 33,000 people starting March 31, Gov. Mike Pence's office said in a news release.

The automatic spending cuts took effect Friday, slashing $85 billion from the nation's budget. U.S. lawmakers say they want to undo the cuts so that federal programs can be spared but are divided over whether higher taxes should be used to pay for them.

Pence's office said that because of the cuts, the Indiana National Guard will put 1,000 full-time Army and Air National Guard military technicians on unpaid furlough one day a week from the end of April through September. The guard also will hold off on awarding $30 million in military construction projects at Terre Haute and South Bend for fiscal year 2013.

The WIC program will be cut by $4.1 million, but the state plans to continue full benefits because of its low transportation cost, administrative cuts of $1.6 million and a declining caseload, Pence's office said.

The Indiana Department of Labor will lose matching dollars for the Indiana Occupational Safety and Health Administration, and the Department of Workforce Development will lose $1.1 million for job seeker services and $515,000 for other programs, it said.

Some state agencies, including the Department of Homeland Security, the Family and Social Services Administration, and the State Department of Health, have not received guidance from the federal government about how cuts affecting them will be administered.

The Bureau of Motor Vehicles, the Department of Environmental Management, the Department of Natural Resources, the Department of Revenue, the Department of Transportation, and the Department of Veterans Affairs will see little if any impact, it said.

ADVERTISEMENT

  • Indiana National Guard Cuts
    John ConlonMarch 6, 2013 8:29 AM
    I believe I once read where Indiana has the 5th largest Guard in the U.S. If true, why a state our size should have such a large Guard? Pruning back would seem to be a good idea regardless of the potential budget cuts.
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment
  • Somewhat misleading
    ElaineMarch 5, 2013 1:22 PM
    The $85 billion does not all get "slashed" at the same time - many won't occur until next year or thereafter. Unfortunately, since our government has habitually been spending more than they take in, someone has to pay the piper. I am with more taxes and higher healtcare costs to bolster up the "needy". The main problem with this country is, that as a whole (whether it be government, individuals or corporations) we just cannot spend what we don't have and think the party will last forever. How about or Commander in Chief parking that big jet that flies 2 or 3 places every day for a while???
    Reply to CommentFlag Comment

Post a comment to this story

COMMENTS POLICY
We reserve the right to remove any post that we feel is obscene, profane, vulgar, racist, sexually explicit, abusive, or hateful.
 
You are legally responsible for what you post and your anonymity is not guaranteed.
 
Posts that insult, defame, threaten, harass or abuse other readers or people mentioned in IBJ editorial content are also subject to removal. Please respect the privacy of individuals and refrain from posting personal information.
 
No solicitations, spamming or advertisements are allowed. Readers may post links to other informational websites that are relevant to the topic at hand, but please do not link to objectionable material.
 
We may remove messages that are unrelated to the topic, encourage illegal activity, use all capital letters or are unreadable.
 

Messages that are flagged by readers as objectionable will be reviewed and may or may not be removed. Please do not flag a post simply because you disagree with it.

ADVANCED SEARCH
Sponsored by
ADVERTISEMENT

facebook - twitter on Facebook & Twitter

Follow on TwitterFollow IBJ on Facebook:
Follow on TwitterFollow IBJ's Tweets on these topics:
 
Subscribe to IBJ

  1. Saw the Indy Men's Chorus "Music of Gilbert & Sullivan" at the Indiana Historical Society on Sunday evening.

  2. Temporary workers are not "tools" they are people and companies that keep large amounts of temp staff are cheating.

  3. I miss having them around. I hope one of their stores is in the general Meridian/86th Street area. I will make good use of it.

  4. The Fringe! Plus, the simple fact that there are so many local faves in such close proximity to each other.

  5. I remenber, watching the toll road, being built, through South Bend, when I was 10 years old. I believe, back then that it was estimated, that the toll road, would be paid for in 20 years and then it would be free. I am now 71, what happened? Since the power is in the people, by that, I mean that, we the people are in total control of everything. I, suggest that no one ever use the toll road again, let it go broke. We the people can control the price of everything, from groceries to gas, if we would just do it. If we don't pay the asking price, the sellers will lower the price and if we wait awhile, they will lower the price to what we accept as reasonable. I would like to know why a highway like interstate 94, is so well maintained, a much better highway, than the toll road, but has no tolls. I would also like to know why, a sitting governor, with a term limit, maximum of eight years, can lease, public property, for 75 years. Even though I have transponders in both of my trucks and will not be affected by the increase, I have been and will contine to avoid using the toll road. I make many trips from northern Indiana to Chicago, every year, and I prefer the better highway, I94!

ADVERTISEMENT