News & Notes

Sequestration: How Does It Impact You?

Rebecca Bustamante, PMP, is a WIFV Board Member.  She is currently represented by Taylor Royall in Baltimore as talent.
Rebecca Bustamante, PMP, is a WIFV Board Member. She is currently represented by Taylor Royall talent agency in Baltimore.

Sequestration is the latest bump in the fiscal road for Americans. Although the impact varies by state, the Washington, DC metro area is bracing for full impact at the end of March. While the White House and Congress spent time blaming each other for the lack of budget resolution, many federal employees are facing furloughs and another year without a pay increase. An alarming statistic is the plan to furlough one third of the Agriculture workforce, including meat and poultry plants inspection personnel. Federal funds for education, children with disabilities, headstart programs, and service programs for the elderly and the mentally ill are all hard hit along with federal agencies.

For film and media makers in the DC region, it may also mean less work, especially those dependent on government contracts. The Washington Post published an article this week that the National Archives is reducing its research hours as a result of federal budget cuts. Funds for producing training videos, archiving projects, and other related efforts may lessen in the region as agencies work with lean budgets and reduced headcount. The Washington Post, CNN, and Politico all have full pages devoted to the effects of the sequester and there’s a myriad of articles and blogs publishing about the topic. Below are some things you can do now to voice your concerns.

Take Action Now!

  • Pick a night to write letters to your representatives in Congress and the Senate. Identify your main concerns in writing and mail the letter. Let’s ask our lawmakers to roll up their sleeves.
  • Sign a petition asking for change or create your own at whitehouse.gov. Use the petition filter to see only budget-related petitions.
  • If microblogging is more your style, Tweet your Congressperson! Tweetcongress.org has a full list of representatives by state and party that are currently tweeting.
  • Share some of National Priority Project’s images on facebook, and post your own comments about how the lack of a balanced budget impacts you.
  • Mark your calendar for “Riding the Fiscal Roller Coaster“, a webinar presented by WAND, on Thursday, March 14th at 3 PM Eastern.

Most importantly, stay involved and VOTE! The best way to send a message is to vote out those representatives who aren’t willing to work together for a balanced budget. Feel free to submit your comments on this blog, or tweet @WIFV_DC.

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