Jeffrey Zients and Ashton Carter testified on the effects of automatic budget cuts on Defense Department and other government programs. The cuts, also known as sequestration, were part of the 2011 debt ceiling agreement and were scheduled for January 2013 unless Congress passed $1.2 trillion in deficit reduction. Among the programs discussed were base support services for military families and veterans, funding for civilian investments, training for troops in Afghanistan, the Federal Aviation Administration, food and workplace safety inspections, and the National Weather Service.