The Tuesday edition of the Morning Jolt offers a look at which side is really being stubborn in the sequester fight, the mixed bag of revealed nominees for the Nobel Peace Prize, and . . .
Obama’s Cabinet: the Sky Is Falling, and It’s All Sequester’s Fault, Honest!
No sooner than one cabinet secretary apologizes for peddling implausible lines about the sequester’s effect . . .
Education Secretary Arne Duncan said Monday he misspoke when he recently claimed schools were already firing teachers in anticipation of sequester cuts taking effect.
“When I said ‘pink slips’ that was probably the wrong word,” Duncan said to reporters, according to multiple reports. “Language matters, and I need to be very, very clear.”
. . . another one gets herself into trouble:
Both the Transportation Security Administration and U.S. Customs and Border Protection predict sequestration budget cuts will mean more time stuck in line for travelers using America’s airways, but three days in, only some of those increases have materialized.
Enter your airport’s information on the TSA’s website for a quick listing of line times at each security checkpoint. A spokesperson at Reagan National Airport said Monday that neither Reagan nor nearby Dulles International Airport were seeing a change in wait times.
TSA’s press office said on Friday that the sequester would not trigger an immediate increase in wait times, but as they put in place a hiring freeze and see staffing levels drop, peak wait times at large airports could go up to an hour or more.
A second website allows flyers to see which airports are experiencing flight delays, which can also lengthen travel time.
The only airport showing delays on the Federal Aviation Administration website Monday afternoon was San Francisco International where weather was slowing planes out of the gate.
Homeland Security Secretary Janet Napolitano said Monday waits at Customs had already gone up by 150 to 200 percent.
Look at the bright side: we got the Secretary of Education to concede that “language matters.”
The administration’s “Washington Monument” strategy continues.
Above, the “Fallout” of the Sequester.
Meanwhile, Rick Wilson points out that on February 13, the TSA signed a contract for $50 million on new uniforms.
“Let the sky fall,” as Adele sang.