ASLA Responds to Sequester

The American Society of Landscape Architects has weighed in on the automatic federal spending cuts that were triggered at the end of February. The ASLA is concerned by the impact of the cuts on the economy, especially for small businesses, as well as the lasting consequences of the infrastructure cuts that are part of the package.

At the end of February, automatic cuts previously agreed upon by Congress and President Obama – now referred to "sequestration" – went into effect, beginning an across-the-board cut of $85 billion from federal programs and services. In response, the ASLA sent out a statement:

The American Society of Landscape Architects (ASLA) is disappointed in the federal government's failure to avert the sequestration.

While few deny that the federal deficit and accumulated debt are real problems, the scale and timing of these cuts will significantly impact our fragile economy and could disproportionately impact small businesses, including small landscape architecture firms. ASLA is also very concerned that these cuts will result in the furloughing of thousands of federal employees, including federal landscape architects.

ASLA's fourth-quarter 2012 Business Quarterly survey results had indicated a steadier future hiring picture going into the first quarter of 2013. Ninety-eight percent of landscape architecture firms are small businesses, and about 24 percent of landscape architects are self-employed. Federal budget cuts could force these firms to change their spending and hiring plans as well as reduce their ability to meet their customers' demand.

These across-the-board spending cuts also mean fewer resources for much-needed infrastructure projects. Landscape architecture firms partner with federal, state, and local governments to plan and design community infrastructure projects to manage stormwater and design public spaces and transportation corridors. These projects save taxpayer money and provide community benefits including water and energy efficiencies.

Nancy Somerville, Hon. ASLA, executive vice president and CEO of ASLA, stated that "the message is simple: prolonged uncertainty in the federal budget process will continue to adversely impact landscape architecture firms and the economy as a whole."

We realize that policymakers have difficult fiscal decisions to make. We urge President Obama and Congress to continue to focus on more targeted cutbacks, rather than across-the-board reductions. Their agenda must include working together to reinvest in U.S. infrastructure.

For more information on ASLA's economic recovery priorities: www.asla.org/advocacy

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