On March 1, sequestration will go into effect. While the across-the-board budget cuts will target each and every non-exempt program equally, some states in particular will suffer the brunt of the pain because of an economic reliance on defense infrastructure.
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Because military personnel are largely exempt for the cuts, most of the military cuts have been shifted to the things that economically stimulate states with defense sites — bases, manufacturing, construction and research and development.
Pew Research's Stateline has done an analysis and figured out the states with the worst economic hits.
These are the top five states hit the hardest by the defense side of the sequestration:
- Virginia — 122,800 jobs lost
- California — 125,800 jobs lost
- Texas — 91,600 jobs lost
- Maryland — 36,200 jobs lost
- Florida — 38,200 jobs lost
Here's a full infographic from Stateline on the economic impacts in the worst-hit five:
