Rapid Fire Oct, 10, 2012: Sequestration Will Spread Malaria

* Democrats from the House Appropriations Committee published their estimates of the consequences of sequestration not just on defense, but as DID recently half-jokingly predicted, with an increasingly broad scope and dire consequences. If the loss of 1 million 2 million jobs did not adequately frighten you, consider that the sequester also means “3 million fewer malaria treatments” and “more than 14,000 deaths from completely preventable illnesses.” * Forgive our cynicism but either the consequences attributed to the Budget Control Act (BCA) are way inflated for fear mongering purposes, or Congress was unfathomably irresponsible to pass the BCA in the first place. The Congressional Research Service published an overview [PDF] of the various job loss scenarios built around sequestration. Neither they nor us saw the “think of the African children” angle coming though. Sequestration is a bad mechanism that would have adverse effects because of its hamfisted nature. That should provide enough impetus to steer Congress into action, rather than constant predictions of impending doom followed by apathy. * The US Defense Acquisition University updated its Defense Acquisition Guidebook to reflect recent regulatory changes including evolutions in the Planning, Programming, Budgeting and Execution (PPBE) process, affordability requirements, and the role […]