There are now fears that the sequester, the mandated cutbacks by the US government in government services, due to start March 1st, could deeply affect St. Patrick’s Day activities both in America and Ireland.
Obama administration officials are warning about flight chaos if air traffic controllers are laid off starting on Friday as part of the $85 billion in sequestered cuts both parties agreed to in the absence of a budget deal.
The FAA has warned that all flights to and from major airports, including international flights, will be deeply affected if there are fewer traffic controllers.
"We're looking at all options to reduce costs. We're looking at a hiring freeze, at cutting contracts and travel and other items not related to day-to-day operations," FAA administrator Michael Huerta told the U.S. House of Representatives Transportation Committee.
"But to reach the large figure we need to cut, we have little choice but to make up the rest through furloughing employees," Huerta said.
Transportation Secretary Ray LaHood, told White House reporters the automatic cuts would “lead to delayed flights, shuttered control towers and irate passengers from coast to coast.”
The threatened cuts happen at the busiest time of the year for Irish activities with thousands coming from Ireland for the American festivities.
Tens of thousands of Irish Americans also fly overseas at this time to Ireland for St.Patrick’s Day and they could be deeply affected by the cuts.
Marching bands from the U.S. form a large part of the attraction at the New York parade as well as at parades across the U.S, and in Ireland. If they have difficulty scheduling flights they may not be able to participate.
Overseas flights will be deeply affected if there are major cuts at airports. Already all flights overseas by U.S. politicians on taxpayer-funded trips have been canceled.
The extent of the impact of the cuts has still to be revealed. The Obama administration and Republican leaders are due to meet later this week to see if a solution can be hammered out.
The administration wants balanced tax hikes and cuts while the GOP is resisting any more tax increases.
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Switch to the desktop site to post a comment.eiriamach | Mar 05, 2013, 06:39 PM EST
Mea culpa! (Actually I like the tin whistle.)
seanomelb | Mar 04, 2013, 05:41 PM EST
Easy on Eiriamach I play the tin whistle.
eiriamach | Mar 04, 2013, 11:42 AM EST
"They all play on penny whistles/ You can hear them blow/ If you lean your head out far enough/ From Desolation Row." Bobby knew they'd be back again.
Smyrnian | Mar 02, 2013, 07:28 PM EST
SeanO - Thanks for the poem but I will continue to stick to the the facts and the truth.
seanomelb | Mar 02, 2013, 07:19 PM EST
oh a false clock tries to tick out my time./to disgrace,distract and bother me./and the dirt of gossip blows in my face./and the dust of rumours cover me.Maybe smyrnian will stop spreading rumour and innuendo and stick to facts.
Smyrnian | Mar 02, 2013, 05:48 PM EST
Anglophile - For once we definitely agree :)
anglo-norman | Mar 02, 2013, 04:41 PM EST
Obama is killing the US economy.
johnshiel | Mar 02, 2013, 11:28 AM EST
this is a shame. America should continue to spend itself into Chinese slavery to maintain frivolous celebrations that could be carried on more authentically by private sector. Damn authenticity; up with more government funded parties and circuses! btw, who called Mr. Obama our Entertainer in Chief, anyway?
boydshield | Mar 01, 2013, 11:36 PM EST
If the gov't is forced to make the pay cuts, maybe they'll realize THEY CAN get by on less government. As far as getting rid of the air traffic controllers, why don't we get rid of the TSA idiots they have standing around. Truly, you give some one a badge, and they BELIEVE they are the new sheriff in town...
Seanmor | Mar 01, 2013, 09:28 PM EST
I'm reminded of the later years of the Vietnam War when military units we NOT invited to some very important parade, but they were always well received in the NYC parades of Mrch 17. Then in 1983 and 1985 the Reagan administration REFUSED to permit the military to participate in this event because the Grand Marshals, Mike Flannery in '83 and Peter King in '85, were outspoken opponents of the British occupation of the Six-Countie.
eiriamach | Mar 01, 2013, 07:26 PM EST
Golly Seano, then what can anyone do about it? "Then I’ll stand on the ocean until I start sinkin’ But I’ll know my song well before I start singin’ And it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard, it’s a hard It’s a hard rain’s a-gonna fall."
seanomelb | Mar 01, 2013, 06:33 PM EST
Gee Eiriamach !! Maybe the answer is blowing in the wind.
Scrivner | Mar 01, 2013, 04:35 PM EST
Eiriamach you are right! Tired of hearing Pres Obama complain about Repub not allowing tax increases--when the House Repubs did (increase in top rate from the "fiscal cliff" compromise to say nothing of the new taxes phasing in from Obamacare). Tired of hearing Pres Obama complain about the "1%ers" not paying their fair share while never specifying what their "fair share" should be, perhaps he has just been too tired from all those vacations. As "annew" pointed out, in the private sector--both non-profit and for-profit--cuts had been made, pain endured so that the mission could go on.
eiriamach | Mar 01, 2013, 07:27 AM EST
Wow! Reader, don't bother reading further. There's almost no one but complainers posting below! If life gives back what you put into it, they must be truly miserable people. Maya Angelou has something to say to people like them: “There were people who went to sleep last night,/ poor and rich and white and black,/ but they will never wake again./ And those dead folks would give anything at all/ for just five minutes of this weather/ or ten minutes of plowing./ So you watch yourself about complaining./ What you're supposed to do/ when you don't like a thing is change it./ If you can't change it,/ change the way you think about it.” Complaints never changed anything.
faberm1 | Feb 28, 2013, 07:55 PM EST
Irish Central = Obama Central
Smyrnian | Feb 28, 2013, 07:04 PM EST
If Obama can't continue to spend like like a drunken sailor,the Shamrock will wither! The sky is falling! Zombies will wander the streets at will.
seanomelb | Feb 28, 2013, 05:01 PM EST
Beware if the budget is slashed by $85 billion,that's what Spain,Ireland,Greece and Italy did and they have double digit unemployment. Be careful what you wish for. The teaparty types are shooting themselves in the foot, unfotunatley for them their feet are in their mouths as they shoot.
Smyrnian | Feb 28, 2013, 04:41 PM EST
Bill - I certainly understand that but most people either do not or don't want to understand it. Spend, tax, borrow, redistribute wealth, spend, tax, borrow etc. ad nauseum. It's the lefty socialist mantra.
BILLWALSH | Feb 28, 2013, 04:01 PM EST
What people don't understand, or choose to ignore is that every department of our Government will have MORE money in their budget than they did LAST year. The cuts are to the increase in spending wanted by Obamna. The sky is not going to fall.
Niall O'Dowd | Feb 28, 2013, 03:16 PM EST
I can really feel the love on these comment!. Amazing when you factually present information - and there is no opinion in this article --people still feel a need to take offense. Chill pill time guys
annew | Feb 28, 2013, 02:46 PM EST
Exaggeration and manipulation...sickening! I work for a nonprofit that provides care for kids with special needs. When the economy tanked and our donations went down, we ALL -- from the CEO down to the housekeeping staff -- took pay cuts (and we were paid very modestly to begin with!). We found ways to do everything that needed to be done without reducing services. Let's start with Congress. What a bunch of fat cat, cry babies lead this country!
olovely | Feb 28, 2013, 02:35 PM EST
Proof the Republican Party will lead the nation to the brink of ruin to protect the poor billionaires that bankroll them from a tax cut they obviously can't afford.
porkheaven | Feb 28, 2013, 02:00 PM EST
Niall O'Dowd is just as much a lunatic as the Pres and the democrats in congress just what is 85 billion in a economy the size of ours. Start by requiring all members of congress take a 15% pay cut as well as the Pres. eliminate programs that don't matter
jhmdeuce | Feb 28, 2013, 01:16 PM EST
This is the most moronic article I've seen on here, out of a host of mindless, moronic articles. Why don't you try honoring St. Patrick's feast day by going to Mass with your family, and thanking God that he sent St. Patrick to Ireland. You may want to ask God for another St. Patrick to save Ireland from mindless, godless morons like Niall O'Dowd.
Smyrnian | Feb 28, 2013, 01:01 PM EST
Nico - Totally agree with you! As for this tiny cut in the budget INCREASE, the one that Obama came up with, approved and espoused (before he did a tire screeching reverse) you would think the sky was falling, zombies will walk the streets, shamrock will stop growing and children everywhere will starve. They are such hypocritical scaremongers crying like babies to get their way ( tax, spend, tax again for 'wealth redistribution', increase 'entitlements' (more wealth redistribution), borrow more billions from the Chinese, tax more to pay for it and repeat over and over agin until we are truly done as a nation; not just insolvent, as we are now. IC LOVES Obama and all lefties and their socialist ideology. Pitiful, self-loathing, anti-catholic, Marxist, hugely pro-abortion website. Sad really, when you think of what it could be and what a lot if people think it is.
Nicopernicus | Feb 28, 2013, 12:15 PM EST
Hats off to all those of Irish decent who recognize Irish Central for what it is. I am stunned at what I read on here and how absolutely tainted it is. Most of us reasonable people can read between the lines when it comes to Extreme leftism and hard core right wingers that hi-jack the media...But this stuff is an abomination...It rarely has any facts,,,carry's a severely skewed political opinion based news..and drives such a severe conservative hating taint that it can only be regarded as close to Marxism...I guess its the same group that enjoys pontificating around statues of Che'Guevara in Galway.
Nicomax | Feb 28, 2013, 12:07 PM EST
Spot on!. Finally someone has identified the primary reason these budget cuts should not go into effect.
Smyrnian | Feb 28, 2013, 11:36 AM EST
Charlotte, Ann and Brian - you have it correct. This is a left wing, self hating, Catholic bashing, Obana worshipping website. It takes some people a while to realize this (like me) but you guys have it nailed perfectly. PS please keep posting. We need your views on here!
charlottenc | Feb 28, 2013, 11:24 AM EST
I am so disappointed in Irish Central...they are in Obama's "camp" just like the rest of the mainstream media. Obama is a fake out to make conservatives and Republicans look bad. I didn't realize that this site would be more Obama propaganda. I don't want to hear about him and how he cares about the middle class....he isn't middle class and loves hobnobbing with the rich and famous...wake up Irish America!!!
Ann Rooney Ciri | Feb 28, 2013, 10:41 AM EST
good morning though born in America of Irish parents I did get Irish citizenship and proud of it Please do not fall for Obama line it was his idea this squester they are alarmists and carrying on if they don't "get" their way it is 2per cent of our budget and he and his crew have so over inflated everything we need to pull back...I'll give you their are better ways but since nobody is budgeing and half the offices in gvmt do not put in much effort let it go- dept of defense is also over inflated - the cuts should have been more thoughtfully but this will wake everyone up we don't need to turn into Greece
BrianO | Feb 28, 2013, 09:58 AM EST
The president who cried wolfe
Nicopernicus | Feb 28, 2013, 09:32 AM EST
This site and its articles are a complete corruption of what it means to be Irish. Lets just cancel St.Patrick's day..who cares, Get off the drink...stop being a bum..get out and do some work...take care of your family...decide whats important in your life, get yourself some decent friends...On and On...St.Patrick was Welsh anyway. And stop singing Danny Boy...The death Lament is Scottish hymn as well...
Celtlaw | Feb 28, 2013, 08:55 AM EST
The sky is falling! the sky is falling
Gaelicpiper | Feb 28, 2013, 08:41 AM EST
This rant is so dishonest on so many levels. Are there any honest wordsmiths on the Irish Central staff?
kilfinnane | Feb 28, 2013, 08:08 AM EST
Good job Irish Central. Let's keep the focus on the little things so that we can avoid coming to grips with the fact that the Obama administration has brought our nation to the brink of collapse.
saraindc | Feb 28, 2013, 07:59 AM EST
Maybe it's no harm that some of our useless irish politicians stay at home and try to build up some morale in their own constituencies!! Their visits here to the USA have ZERO impact on working class American Irish who can't afford to go to Ireland anyway. The amount of money they WASTE on lavish ministerial events would be better spent at home in Ireland - they're talking about cutting public sector pay AGAIN, STAY AT HOME AND SAVE SOME OF THE TAXPAYER MONEY YOU'RE WASTING ON THESE USELESS TRIPS TO THE USA!!!