Former Oklahoma lawmaker: Balance needed in Washington to avoid harmful budget cuts

Together, these programs represent the second-smallest share of the federal budget. They are not the drivers of the debt. And yet they are always the most vulnerable to cuts, and have already been slashed in the name of deficit reduction.

Lawmakers from both political parties and a bevy of independent experts, including the Congressional Budget Office, agree that sequestration's indiscriminate, across-the-board cuts will have a devastating impact on our lagging economy. Congress and the president must work together to achieve a balanced approach to deficit reduction. Only through balance can we avoid sequestration and put our nation on a sustainable fiscal path.

Boyd, of Norman, is a former Democratic member of the Oklahoma House of Representatives.