What exactly is a sequester?

In 2011 when Congress was looking to raise the debt ceiling, the Republicans wouldn't agree to vote for it unless there was also an agreement to cut spending. The agreement that was put into place was essentially: "we'll figure out where to cut spending a little later, and as an incentive for us, we'll put in place a deadline, where if we DON'T figure out what to cut, then there will be an automatic, arbitrary spending cut across all kinds of places...so that'll force us to come to an agreement down the road."

So, they agreed, the debt ceiling was raised, and the sequestration cuts loomed. The Super Committee was supposed to find a solution, and didn't. Essentially, the deadline now approaches and there still hasn't been an agreement yet on what, specifically, to cut (there's a certain amount, I want to say it's $1.2 trillion). So instead of looking at programs and figuring out what really can afford it, the sequestration - if no other plan is in place - will be put in effect and cut a wide swath of programs worth that $1.2 trillion.

a sequester cut is a percent reduction taken blindly to all federal budgets, rather than spending cuts to specific programs. the last sequester happened in the Clinton presidency.

something our country needed badly