Eleanor Holmes Norton: “Republicans cry that the President and Democrats are crying wolf about sequester cuts and furloughs. But, the wolf is…”

“Republicans cry that the President and Democrats are crying wolf about sequester cuts and furloughs. But, the wolf is already biting. In my hand is a furlough notice from the U.S. Attorney for the District of Columbia. In D.C., the U.S. Attorney still handles major local crimes for this big city as well as some of the most important Federal matters, including terrorism suspects. The U.S. Attorney's notice says there will be up to 14 days--that's 2 weeks--of furlough days for Assistant U.S. Attorneys and other personnel. On furlough days, the notice says, Assistant U.S. Attorneys and other staff are not permitted to even come to the office to volunteer. Mr. Speaker, the problem with making sequester a budget rather than a prod, as intended, is not the 2 percent sequester cut. It's the compression upfront in a short period of time. The American people who depend on U.S. Attorneys deserve better than a deliberate and avoidable public safety furlough. ____________________”