Old-T, you need to understand something very, very fundamental.
It is this: Everything that you have been told about the "draconian cuts under sequestration" is a LIE.
The United States government, even with the "draconian cuts under sequestration", is going to spend MORE money this year than it did last year. They haven't CUT a damned thing. If there was money there to pay for something last year, that money is STILL there to pay the same amount, PLUS, this year.
The people screwing your friend over are doing it deliberately. They know they're hurting people, they know they're doing it deliberately, and they know they're lying to you about it. They hope you didn't hear about the actual fact that no actual cuts occurred, and that you will BELIEVE them when they say we have to continue to spend like drunken Congressmen just to stay even.
Until you understand that NO CUTS HAVE TAKEN PLACE, you will not understand what is going on.