The report says the automatic cuts were mandated by the failure of last year's congressional deficit "supercommittee" to strike a deal and would require across-the-board trims of 9 percent to most Pentagon programs and 8 percent to many domestic programs.
The cuts, combined with the expiration of Bush-era tax cuts at the end of the year, have been dubbed the "fiscal cliff." Economists warn that the one-two punch could drive the economy back into recession.





