Tag Archives: Washington

Posted by Beth Kaiman

Documents obtained by USA Today give a state-by-state breakdown of the furloughs and financial impact related to the military, if Congress does not alter the current sequestration plan scheduled to take effect next month.

In terms of Army cuts, Washington state would be hit 11th-hardest hit in the nation. At Joint Base Lewis-McChord, if Congress changes nothing, a $341 million annual cut would be ordered, according to the Army. More than 11,000 jobs statewide would be affected by furloughs (of more than 200,000 nationally), a figure that the Army says includes, not only immediate civilian furloughs, but jobs related to military spending. President Barack Obama has exempted military personnel from furloughs.

Defense Secretary Leon Panetta told Congress on Wednesday that if the cuts take effect in March 1, he may be compelled to furlough the “vast majority” of the Defense Department’s 800,000 civilian workers.
More from The Associated Press: Panetta also said the across-the-board spending reductions would “put us on a path toward a hollow force,” meaning a military incapable of fulfilling all of its missions.

In a written message to employees, Panetta said he notified members of Congress on Wednesday that if the White House and Congress cannot strike a deficit reduction deal before March 1 to avoid the furloughs, all affected workers will get at least 30 days’ advance notice.

The furloughs would be part of broad spending cuts the Pentagon would implement in order to achieve $46 billion in reductions through the end of this budget year, which ends Sept. 30. More cuts would come in future years as long as the automatic government spending cuts, known as sequestration, remained in effect.

In the event of sequestration we will do everything we can to be able to continue to perform our core mission of providing for the security of the United States, but there is no mistaking that the rigid nature of the cuts forced upon this department, and their scale, will result in a serious erosion of readiness across the force,” Panetta wrote.

Pentagon officials have said their furloughs would be structured so that nearly all 800,000 workers lose one day of work per week for 22 weeks, probably starting in late April. That means they would lose 20 percent of their pay over that period.

The Pentagon has begun discussing details of the furloughs with defense worker union officials.

House Speaker John Boehner put the blame on Obama and said he agrees with Panetta that automatic spending cuts would devastate the military.

Boehner released a copy of Panetta’s letter formally notifying Congress that the Pentagon will have to consider furloughing a large portion of its civilian workforce if sequestration kicks in.

The furloughs contemplated by this notice will do real harm to our national security,” Panetta wrote in his congressional notification letter, adding that it would make troops less ready for combat and slow the acquisition of important weapons.

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Weekly Address and more

02/04/2013 Nativegrl77

In this week’s address, President Obama calls on Congress to work together on a balanced approach to reduce our deficit and promote economic growth and job creation.

Watch this week’s Weekly Address.

In Case You Missed It

Here’s a quick glimpse at what happened this week on WhiteHouse.gov:

Immigration Reform: On Tuesday, President Obama traveled to Las Vegas to present his plans for comprehensive immigration reform. The four parts of the White House proposal call for a strengthening of our borders, cracking down on companies that hire undocumented workers, creating a path to earned citizenship and streamlining our legal immigration system for all.

“Now is the time to do this so we can strengthen our economy and strengthen our country’s future,” said President Obama, urging a bipartisan effort.

Speak out to show your support and get the facts on our immigration reform page.
Read the President’s remarks on comprehensive immigration reform.
Watch the President’s speech on comprehensive immigration reform.

Turning to Law Enforcement: On Monday, President Obama and Vice President Biden welcomed police chiefs and sheriffs from across the country to hear their ideas on protecting our communities from gun violence. The President is seeking to prevent mass shootings like Newton, where 20 young children and six adults were killed by a gunman, and explained, “it’s also what happens on a day-in-day-out basis in places like Chicago or Philadelphia, where young people are victims of gun violence every single day.”

Advancing Gender Equality: On Wednesday, President Obama signed a Presidential Memorandum to champion gender equality and empower women and girls. While in office President Obama has acknowledged the importance of women in the political and economic worlds. Under the President’s guidance, the White House Council on Women and Girls was initiated and his first piece of legislation was the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act, which makes it easier for women to challenge unequal pay.

Mama, I Made It: On Monday, the Miami Heat were honored at the White House for their 2012 NBA Finals victory. After President Obama’s remarks, an excited LeBron James candidly described the moment. “We’re in the White House right now,” James said. “This is like, hey, mama, I made it.”

Check out the full ceremony and watch James present President Obama a signed ball and star forward Dwayne Wade give a jersey to the President. Be sure to also take a look at our behind the scenes look on the Heat’s trip to the White House.

Relief for Syria: On Tuesday, the White House released a video message from President Obama announcing an additional $155 million in humanitarian assistance to the people of Syria. The aid provides food, clean water, medicines and medical treatment. The United States and its allies are working together to ensure the aid goes directly to those who need it most. The United States total contribution to the people of Syria stands at $365 million as the aid comes at a critical moment when allies are fighting for an end to the corrupt Assad regime.

Fireside Hangout: On Thursday, the White House continued their series of Google+ hangouts with senior White House officials. Cecilia Muñoz, Director of the White House Domestic Policy Council, discussed the President’s proposal for comprehensive immigration reform with participants from across America. Follow the White House on Google+ to receive the latest updates and stay in the loop for ways you can be involved for the next hangout.

Get Updates

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Colville tribe: hunting wolves to protect deer, elk, chairman says

01/15/2013 Nativegrl77

by Lynda V. Mapes

December 7,2012

After eight months of deliberation, the Confederated Tribes of the Colville Reservation decided earlier this month to open a hunt on wolves living within the boundaries of its reservation, John Sirois, chairman of the Colville Business Council said in a telephone interview Friday.

The tribe made the decision after surveying its membership, and discerning through the work of its biologists that the wolves on its reservation are denting the local population of deer and elk, which tribal members hunt for subsistence. The tribe elected to allow a wolf hunt in order protect the tribe’s food supply, Sirois said.

“Wolves are starting to have an impact,” Sirois said. “We decided it was much better to manage the population so we can keep the numbers down a little bit. We would rather do that than what the state Fish and Wildlife did and take a whole pack. We didn’t want a helicopter coming through.”

Sirois was referring to the decision by the state Department of Fish and Wildlife in September to kill an entire pack of wolves in the northeastern part of the state, called the Wedge pack, after a rancher complained of cattle killed by the pack.

One of the members of Wedge Pack. All of the wolves in the pack were killed by the Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife.

Photo, courtesy Washington Department of Fish and Wildlife

Killing the seven members of the pack with a marksman shooting from a helicopter was highly controversial. Some, including UW wildlife biologist John Marzluff, say the state didn’t need to kill the Wedge pack. See his op ed in the Seattle Times.

The tribe’s decision to allow a hunt has also been hot.

“Oh man, it is blowing up,” Sirios said. “I have a lot of hateful messages from people, it’s ‘Why are you killing your brother.’ The decision wasn’t made easily, there was a lot of debate. But in terms of feeding our people, this is one we had to make.”

Sirois said he doubts many wolves will be taken. “It is not as easy as people think. We have authorized three areas, with threes wolves for each one. If they get one per zone, they will be lucky.”

No wolves have been taken yet, Sirois said.

The Colville’s reservation is a sprawling expanse of largely open country, in northcentral Washington. The tribe successfully trapped and collared several wolves last summer, Sirois said, part of its work to monitor the wolves within the tribe’s borders. At least two packs are believed to roam the rez. Collared animals may not be legally hunted.

Hunting with tribal permits on the Colville reservation is only open to tribal members.

Wolves are protected under the federal Endangered Species Act west of SR 97, but east of it, on the tribe’s reservation, they are not. The tribe also has authority to set its own hunting regulations for tribal members on its lands. The season runs until the end of February.

Sirois said the wolf is an important animal to the tribe culturally. “It is definitely one of the animals we hold sacred, and that is one of the major internal discussions we had. But we also weighed the fact that a lot of people are utilizing the deer and elk as subsistence foods. In order to have some balance, it was something we had to do.”

For more information on wolves in Washington, see the state WDFW website. and the website of Conservation Northwest.

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the New 113th House Democrats

01/03/2013 Nativegrl77

In the last week alone, over 30,000 of you renewed your 2013 membership and committed to stand with us in President Obama’s second term. Your continued activism ensures that we can fight right-wing extremism and make progress on behalf of the middle-class.

We can’t thank you enough for all that you do. All the best in 2013!

Nancy

P.S. There’s still time to join us in Washington, DC for President Obama’s inauguration weekend. Donate $3 or more today and you will be automatically entered to win!

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Act now: Urge policymakers to take the chained CPI off the table

12/13/2012 Nativegrl77

National Women's Law Center - Don't Discount Women: Demand Fair Change Not Spare Change

Why are policy makers thinking about cutting Social Security behind closed doors? Because it’s easier for them if you don’t really know what’s happening.

Well, the cat is out of the bag.

According to recent news reports, the chained CPI is officially on the table and gaining buzz in the current deficit reduction negotiations. If the chained CPI (a new and lower Consumer Price Index) is adopted the cost-of-living adjustments (COLA) that Social Security recipients depend on would be calculated in a new way that cuts the value of benefits each year. And no matter how Washington insiders try to spin it, it means a CUT to Social Security benefits.

Act now: Urge policymakers to take the chained CPI off the table during budget negotiations.

Need a reason to take action? How about five?

The chained CPI will cut the value of benefits each year.
The cuts add up — quickly. The cut in the value of benefits will be equivalent to the cost of a week’s worth of food each month by age 80 and nearly two weeks’ worth by 95 for the typical single elderly woman.
The chained CPI cuts everyone’s benefits — including today’s beneficiaries — as soon as it goes into effect.
It particularly hurts women because, on average, they live longer than men and are already more likely to be poor.
It’s less accurate because it doesn’t account for the real increases in the cost of living the elderly face each year.

Oh, and there’s a 6th! As the White House has pointed out, Social Security isn’t the cause of our deficits. So switching the COLA to the chained CPI is just an underhanded move to balance the budget on the backs of the elderly, especially elderly women.

Your voice can make a difference! Tell your Members of Congress and President Obama that the chained CPI should NOT be part of deficit reduction talks.

Thanks for all of your support!

Sincerely,