Automatic budget cuts will have local effects

Congress and the White House set up what they hoped would be such a horrendous situation that they couldn't help but reach a budget compromise.

Guess what?

Apparently it wasn't horrendous enough.

It's likely now that"sequestration" will take place Friday, meaning that $85 billion in federal budget cuts will take place automatically from March through September.

Admittedly, $85 billion is a small part of a $3.8 trillion budget, but how many programs will be affected in Nebraska?

Quite a few, according to the White House.

Some examples:

* Nebraska schools would lose nearly $3 million in funding, jeopardizing 40 teaching jobs and help for 5,000 students.

* Education programs for disabled students would lose $3.53 million.

* About 180 fewer low-income students would receive aid for college in Nebraska, and about 150 fewer would get work-study jobs.

* About 400 fewer Nebraska children would be able to participate in Head Start or Early Head Start.

* Spending at Offutt Air Force Base and other Air Force bases would be cut by $15 million in Nebraska.

* Army base spending would be cut by $1.1 million.

* About 4,000 civilian employees of the Defense Department would be furloughed.

* Nebraska would lose nearly $1.3 million in funding for environmental programs.

* Grants for fish and wildlife protection would be cut by $686,000.

* Job search assistance programs would lose $460,000 in Nebraska, so 14,400 fewer people would be helped.

* As many as 200 disadvantaged children could lose child care.

* The vaccine program for children would lose $52,000, so 760 fewer kids would get their shots.

* About $390,000 would be cut from a grant program for substance abuse treatment.

* Nebraska's HIV testing program would lose $51,000.

* The nutrition program for seniors in Nebraska would lose $121,000.

* About $39,000 would be cut from a program that fights domestic violence.

The White House, however, didn't have specific information about state budget structures and how money might be moved around to cover certain programs.

There's still a change Congress will reach a budget deal to avoid the cuts, but if it doesn't, we may have a chance to find out which programs are actually vital and which ones we can do without.