Because of congressional inaction, automatic across-the-board budget cuts known as the sequester—which is set to go into effect today—will slash funding for some of our nation’s most important social programs, such as Head Start, senior nutrition programs, homeless assistance grants, and the Special Supplemental Nutrition Program for Women, Infants, and Children, or WIC.
The following infographic, however, explains how the sequester cuts compare to certain tax breaks for the wealthy—such as the mortgage deduction for yachts and vacation homes, which, if cut, would raise at least $10 billion in revenue over 10 years. Cutting funding for these social programs in order to preserve these tax breaks for the wealthy is both drastic and unnecessary.
Alissa Scheller is a Graphic Designer at the Center for American Progress. Read more of CAP’s sequestration analysis here.