June 19, 2013

Federal cuts mean longer wait times at O'Hare

BY: AP Staff Writer MARCH 4, 2013 | MODIFIED: MARCH 4, 2013 AT 7:00 PM
Leave a comment

CHICAGO (AP) — Federal officials say among the effects of automatic budget cuts is an up to 50 percent increase in wait times at Chicago's O'Hare International Airport. It will also mean fewer grants and reduced hiring by the U.S. Coast Guard.

The Department of Homeland Security sent Illinois Gov. Pat Quinn a letter Monday with details.

The cuts mean reduced overtime and furloughs for Customs and Border Protection officers, resulting in 2- to 4-hour waits during peak air travel times.

The Federal Emergency Management Agency will reduce several grants, including those to help firefighters.

The Coast Guard will have to cut maritime operations by about 26 percent on Illinois rivers, which will affect safety and security. The letter says the reduction mean patrols of infrastructure and hazardous cargoes will be scaled back.

View article comments Leave a comment

More from washingtonexaminer.com

From the Weekly Standard

  • Frack to the Future

    Williston, N.D.

    Read More...
  • Downsize Ike

    The beleaguered Eisenhower Memorial Commission holds its next public gathering later this month, and before its members duck-walk into the hearing room, huddled in a hoplite phalanx against a...

    Read More...
  • The Lesson of Kermit Gosnell

    What was the lesson of the Kermit Gosnell trial? Since the Philadelphia doctor was convicted last month of murdering three born-alive infants, two competing viewpoints have emerged.

    Read More...