Tagged: Sequester

The Louisville-based team behind the traveling Big Lebowski celebration were among the many unsuspecting victims of the Federal Aviation Administration's air-traffic control furloughs because of the automatic federal budget cuts that went into effect earlier this year.

The FAA had 1,200 flight delays that Monday. There are a lot of stories of frustrated travelers. This is one of them.

Kentucky Derby Festival officials have confirmed that there will be no official military aircrafts flown during this year's Thunder Over Louisville.

"We are not expecting military to fly," said Amy Boyd, a spokeswoman with KDF.

This is something KDF had expected, but Boyd says they received the official work Thursday. Further, she says some planes being flown will be older, retired military aircrafts.

"Technically we still have military planes. They are still going to be loud noise makers. It's just different versions of those aircraft," she says.

Democratic Congressman John Yarmuth is calling on Senate Republican Leader Mitch McConnell to end the brinksmanship, and work with President Obama and Democrats to end the automatic spending cuts.

In Kentucky, the so-called sequestration is expected to have the biggest impact on nutrition and education programs as well as enforcing environmental regulations.

For example, a White House study estimates the cuts will take about 1,100 children off of Head Start in Kentucky. The state is also set to lose $2.1 million for water and air quality protections.

Beyond those cuts, opponents argue the sequester could drag down the economic recovery and hurt job growth.

Yarmuth criticized McConnell for calling the proposed cuts "modest" and says the GOP leader needs to take responsibility  or his role in the failed negotiations.

"I don’t think that the people of Kentucky or the country appreciate what the sequester is going to do for them. I would hope Sen. McConnell would reconsider and provide some leadership here instead of playing politics once again," Yarmuth said during a conference call organized by the Democratic National Committee.

Update at 11:55 a.m. ET. As Expected, No Deal:

President Obama and Congressional leaders met at the White House Friday morning and, just as pundits predicted, they could not reach a deal to avert the $85 billion in automatic spending cuts set to begin at the end of the day. We've posted on that news:

Decrying 'Dumb, Arbitrary Cuts,' Obama Says 'We Will Get Through This'