By Allie Bidwell, Washington
As the midnight-Thursday deadline came and went, steep federal spending cuts were set in motion, leaving college students, administrators, and researchers bracing for the effects of impending reductions in financial-aid, research, and job-training programs. Adding to the anxiety is the fact that no one is certain exactly how or when those effects will be seen.
Advocacy groups, colleges, and President Obama have all called on Congress numerous times to come to a compromise and avoid the across-the-board reduction in federal spending, which will take place through a process known as “sequestration.”
Though a handful of last-minute bills were introduced in the days leading up to the March 1 deadline, legislators failed to approve a plan to avert or postpone the cuts in time, and higher-education institutions across the country are now waiting to see exactly how they will be affected.
President Obama is expected to meet with Congressional leaders on Friday to discuss possible ways to avoid the sequester, but that meeting is not expected to halt the first phase of cuts from taking effect.
The White House has warned that there will be significant reductions in some student-aid programs, in federal funds that support university research, and in college-preparatory programs, but it is difficult to nail down the immediate effects, as program administrators are not sure of how and when the administration will put the cuts into effect.
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