Sequester Scare Tactics Revealed

While the sequester battle wages on, what President Obama and his Administration forgot to mention was that most of their scare tactics, facts and figures were just plain wrong.

Check out the worst sequester lies and exaggerations below.

1. President Obama claimed that Capitol janitors will receive a pay cut

FALSE: According to the Architect of the Capitol, Stephen T. Ayers, “We do not anticipate furloughs for AOC employees as a result of Sequestration.” (The Washington Post)

(Architect of the Capitol)

2. “There are literally teachers now who are getting pink slips, who are getting notices that they can’t come back this fall,” said Education Secretary Arne Duncan.

FALSE: The cuts that were referenced were not brought about by sequestration. Pam Padon, director of federal programs for Kanawha County public schools in West Virginia said, “The major impact is not so much sequestration. Those five or six jobs would already be gone regardless of sequestration.” (The Washington Post)

(Herald de Paris)

3. Meals on Wheels will be forced to serve 4 million fewer meals

FALSE: The Administration’s budget for funding the Older Americans Act nutrition programs hasn’t changed since 2010, so to reference a change due to the sequester is simply wrong. (The Washington Post)

(NACS)

4. Up to 70,000 children will lose access to Head Start and early Head Start learning services

FALSE: Health and Human Services Secretary Kathleen Sebelius said that hundreds of thousands of children across the country wouldn’t have access to the Head Start programs that they do now.  However changes in funding, if any, would need to account for the already $1 billion boost that was received through the stimulus. (The Washington Post)

Obama claims Capitol janitors and security guards are getting a pay cut. “They’re going to have less pay. The janitors, the security guards, they just got a pay cut, and they’ve got to figure out how to manage that. That’s real.” (Glen Kessler, “Sequester spin: Obama’s incorrect claim of Capitol janitors receiving ‘a pay cut’,” The Washington Post, 3/1/2013)

AOC Memo posted by The Washington Post from Stephen T. Ayers (Glen Kessler, “Sequester spin: Obama’s incorrect claim of Capitol janitors receiving ‘a pay cut’,” The Washington Post, 3/1/2013)

“There are literally teachers now who are getting pink slips, who are getting notices that they can’t come back this fall.” (Sec. Arne Duncan on CBS’ Face the Nation, 2/24/13)

Sec. Arne Duncan claims teachers are being fired because of the sequester (Lyndsey Layton & Karen Tumulty, “Teacher pink slips claim by Duncan not backed by evidence.” The Washington Post, 2/27/13)

“Federally assisted programs like Meals on Wheels would be able to serve 4 million fewer meals to seniors.” (Glenn Kessler, “Sequester spin: The threat to free meals for seniors.” The Washington Post, 3/1/2013)

Sec. Sebelius claimed that up to 70,000 children would lose access to Head Start and early Head Start programs. (Glenn Kessler, “Spin and counterspin in the sequester debate” The Washington Post, 3/1/2013)