17,679 Things the Federal Government Has Done Since Sequestration

Opponents of the sequester say budget cuts are ruining America and that austerity kills. Reasonoffers a look at what the feds have been up to since the cuts kicked in.

Katherine Mangu-Ward | September 20, 2013

Over at Politico, they're quasi-blaming the Navy Yard shooting on cuts.

The president of MIT says sequestration is "choking the innovation economy."

The Center for American Progress frets that "austerity kills."

The Atlantic says cuts are "undermining what makes America great."

The FBI is threatening a 10-day shutdown.

And President Barack Obama said in a speech this week that the sequester cuts "have cost jobs, harmed growth, are hurting our military readiness. And top independent economists say this has been a big drag on our recovery this year. Our economy is not growing as fast as it should and we're not creating as many jobs as we should, because the sequester is in place. That's not my opinion. That's the opinion of independent economists."

But has sequestration forced government to grind to a halt? To help answer that question, Reason offers this snapshot of what the feds have been up to over the last few months since the cuts kicked in.

Below is a listing of the 17,679 entries published in the Federal Register since sequestration took effect on March 1, 2013. The Federal Register doesn't capture everything the government has done, of course. But it gives an idea of what this austere, cut-to-the-bone budget has left intact. Click on the links for details about each announcement.

(You can also download the listing as an Excel file here).

Here are the 1st 10, the rest are listed here

• 2013-04790 (3/1/13)
  Selection and Functions of Farm Service Agency State and County Committees
• 2013-04823 (3/1/13)
  National Organic Program: Notice of Policies Addressing Kelp, Seeds and Planting Stock, Livestock Feed, and Responding to Pesticide Residue Testing
• 2013-04787 (3/1/13)
  Oranges, Grapefruit, Tangerines, and Tangelos Grown in Florida; Redistricting and Reapportionment of Grower Members, and Changing the Qualifications for Grower Membership on the Citrus Administrative Committee
• 2013-04863 (3/1/13)
  Filings Required of Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements and Certain Other Related Entities
• 2013-04862 (3/1/13)
  Ex Parte Cease and Desist and Summary Seizure Orders-Multiple Employer Welfare Arrangements
• 2013-04730 (3/1/13)
  Special Local Regulation; Annual Marine Events on the Colorado River, Between Davis Dam (Bullhead City, AZ) and Headgate Dam (Parker, AZ) Within the San Diego Captain of the Port Zone
• 2013-04731 (3/1/13)
  Safety Zone; Underwater Escape Event, Seaport, East River, NY
• 2013-04818 (3/1/13)
  Fisheries of the Northeastern United States; Summer Flounder Fishery; Quota Transfer
• 2013-04815 (3/1/13)
  Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Pacific Cod by Catch Vessels Using Trawl Gear in the Western Regulatory Area of the Gulf of Alaska
• 2013-04822 (3/1/13)
  Fisheries of the Exclusive Economic Zone Off Alaska; Bering Sea and Aleutian Islands; 2013 and 2014 Harvest Specifications for Groundfish