Aaron K. Trippler

One of the more interesting things about being involved in government affairs on a daily basis is listening to the rhetoric that comes from the politicians and the political parties. I say “interesting” because one must listen close to really determine if any of this rhetoric has any bearing on our daily lives. Of course, much of it does, but most of it is simply their way of promoting their own agenda.

There has been a lot of talk recently about the upcoming “fiscal cliff.” Just what is this “cliff” and how does it impact occupational safety and health? First of all, you need to know that no matter who you are or what you do; the fiscal cliff will impact you and your family. Let’s take a quick look –

This problem is called “Sequestration”! If you recall, Congress failed to come up with adequate spending cuts following enactment of the Budget Control Act. This law stated that if Congress failed to cut spending by about $1.4 trillion, then automatic spending cuts would take effect on January 1, 2013.

So, Congress has recessed until after Labor Day. Just before they left town, they passed a continuing resolution to keep the government funded for the next six months.