Montgomery County seniors, students among those burdened by federal spending cuts

If federal spending cuts begin as planned Friday, Montgomery County would lose significant funding for seniors, students, and job-seekers, Commissioner Josh Shapiro said.

In a news conference Thursday, Shapiro, a Democrat, said his calculations were based on estimates from the White House and the state.

The sequester was embedded in last year's federal budget as a way to force Congress to negotiate a long-term fix. A bipartisan deal after Friday's deadline could quickly ease or erase the cuts, and a March 27 budget deadline provides another opportunity for negotiations.

It's unclear how some of the cuts will be implemented, and Republicans this week said the White House was publicizing scenarios that might be hypothetical.

Shapiro said state officials confirmed that the funding cuts would be passed along to counties. In some cases that might mean elimination, while in others the state might shift funds from other departments, or distribute the cuts unevenly among counties.

Once the federal and state decisions have been made, Shapiro said, county officials can begin to reassess their own funds.

Shapiro outlined how he expected the cuts to affect the county:

Waiting lists for Meals on Wheels and senior centers; reduced funding for senior-abuse investigations; reduced transportation for medical appointments; waiting list for family caregiver subsidies.

The salaries of Public Safety Director Thomas Sullivan and three other top-ranking officials would be cut.

$1.5 million in cuts to primary and secondary schools; $1 million in cuts for special-needs students; 200 fewer college students receiving financial aid or work study.

Fewer training programs for job-seekers.

Reduced funding for children's vaccines and containment of infectious diseases.

Shapiro declined to say which services were critical or how much the county might be willing to spend.

The commissioners will meet with state legislators next Friday to discuss the funding, Shapiro said.