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U.S. Congress Looks to Next Deadline as Sequestration Starts
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert and the other service chiefs testified before the House Appropriations Committee defense subcommittee on February 26. (Photo: Department of Defense)
Chief of Naval Operations Adm. Jonathan Greenert and the other service chiefs testified before the House Appropriations Committee defense subcommittee on February 26. (Photo: Department of Defense)

The major deficit-reduction mechanism that the U.S. government adopted as law more than a year ago but never really intended to use will nevertheless take effect on March 1 after political parties failed to reach agreement on cutting costs. “Sequestration” forces the Department of Defense to slash $46 billion from its budget through the end of the fiscal year in September, and some $500 billion over the next decade.