Sequestration Could Spur Furloughs at Education

Sequestration would force the Education Department to furlough many of its employees, the department's leader said Wednesday.

"If we're faced with tough calls, we have an obligation to be fiscally responsible," Secretary Arne Duncan said in an interview with Federal News Radio after a Senate Appropriations subcommittee on Labor, Health and Human Services and Education, and Related Agencies hearing Wednesday.

Duncan did not say exactly how many employees the automatic spending cuts would affect, but his statement followed a July 2012 finding by the Aerospace Industries Association (AIA) that $500 billion in sequestration cuts to nondefense spending could result in the direct loss of 229,000 jobs in civilian agencies.

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