Will the Sequester Impact Our Industry?

After Congress once again failed to agree on how to reduce the federal deficit, the sequester went into effect March 1. Of the sequester’s $85 billion in automatic spending cuts, an estimated $4 billion come from reductions in construction spending, according to a March 3 Engineering News-Record report.

And while it's clear the sequester will in some way impact the commercial construction industry―most likely in the form of cuts to government projects such as military facilities―it's less clear what impact it will have on home building. 

According to Rich Walker, president and CEO of the American Architectural Manufacturers Association, "sequestration will only serve to weaken the economy further, and have negative repercussions for our industry, which has been slowly gaining ground since the recession. Government overspending is more than a scraped knee or elbow. It’s a serious injury that we all suffer from, and we cannot continue to cover it with a flimsy Band-Aid that falls off after a few weeks."

What's your take? Will the sequester negatively impact home building, and in turn, the window and door industry? Will consumers stop buying and building amidst worries of government cuts? Or will this be a non-issue for our industry? Please send me an email or post your comments below.

Survey Results as of 03/19/2013 :
 

Will the Sequester Impact Our Industry?

The author is publisher of Window & Door and Glass Magazine and vice president of publications for the National Glass Association. Write her at nharris@glass.org.