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Automatic spending cuts could mean pay cuts or layoffs for more than 30,000 defense workers in Washington state.

Congressman Denny Heck, D-Wash. visited a small manufacturing company Thurs. near Joint Base Lewis-McChord that has already laid off 40 percent of its workers.

“The impacts (of sequestration) are going to be severe,” said Heck. “I fear recession-inducing in the south Puget Sound.”

Congress faces a March 1 deadline for reaching a new budget deal on taxes and spending. Without a new deal, more than $85 billion in automatic spending cuts are imposed. The plan would affect about 16-thousand civilian workers at Joint Base Lewis-McChord.

The problem, and the deadline, said Heck is Congress’ own doing.

“This is the equivalent of dousing yourself with gasoline and lighting a match.” Heck says, insisting there are 100 different ways for Congress to avoid this.

“My plea here is for goodness-sakes, sit down and get to work on it. That’s what we ought to be doing and instead, we’re off here back in the district where we can play the small, valuable purpose of highlighting the fact that this problem is around the corner but where we ought to be is in Washington, D.C. solving it.”

Without a new deal, more than $85 billion in automatic spending cuts are imposed. The Seattle Times reports that furloughs and pay cuts would affect about 16,000 civilian workers at JBLM and 16,000 Northwest civilian employees, most of whom work in Washington.

The Defense Department hopes a 9 percent cut in the civilian employee payroll in Washington would save about $175 million. Heck calls the cuts arbitrary and harsh and never intended to be implemented.