the federal aviation administration's ability to oversee and manage a nation's airspace and air traffic control would be reduced. hope you don't have to fly anywhere. the department of agriculture's efforts to inspect food plants would be curtailed. hope you don't have to eat anything. the environmental protection agency would be degraded. hope you don't have to drink anything. the national institutes of health could have to halt or curtail scientific research including needed research into cancer and childhood diseases. the federal emergency management agency's ability to respond to incidents of terrorism and other catastrophic events would also be undermined and critical housing programs and food assistance for low-income families would be cut. now, let's be very clear. the only thing congress would need to do to prevent these big, dumb cuts that no one wants would be to agree on an equivalently sized deficit reduction package they prefer of smarter cuts. but thus far, because they're congress and they are terrible at their jobs, that has not happened.