There are some terms bouncing around the halls of Congress right now that aren't too familiar to those who work in the House and Senate; words like layoffs, buyouts and furloughs as the Legislative Branch prepares to deal with their share of $85 billion in across the board automatic budget cuts.
First, how about a pop quiz. How much money do you think is spent by the Legislative Branch?
That would be the House, Senate and their related agencies, which include the Architect of the Capitol, Library of Congress and the Government Accountability Office.
Bzzzzzt. Time's up. How much money does it take to currently fund the entire Legislative Branch?
$4.3 billion is their chunk of the $1.047 trillion discretionary budget, which will now shrink by over $70 billion because of the sequester.
And in coming weeks, the Congress will have to make cuts like all other federal agencies.
Some lawmakers are ready, as they figured this exact scenario would play out.
Rep. Mike Turner (R-OH) told me last week that he had staffers come to him, worried about their future - but he said he's light on employees and should be able to weather the cuts.
But others may not be so lucky.
Asking around in recent days, lawmakers were telling stories about some of their colleagues who did not plan - and now may have to lower the budget ax on their own employees.
I went through the huge document that shows how lawmakers spend money in the House, and judging by numbers from the third quarter of last year, there are more than a few offices that might have to tighten their belt - in both parties - and their staffs will suffer as a result.
"Each Member must determine how to best absorb any required reductions," read a letter to lawmakers from the Chair of the House Administration Committee, Rep. Candice Miller (R-MI).
You can read Miller's letter to fellow lawmakers and go through the sequester "FAQ" for House members here.
When I came into the Capitol on Friday morning, I stopped to chat with a veteran Senate aide and asked him how it might affect his office.
He told me that some Senate employees were being offered buyouts, others were being encouraged to retire; if there weren't enough volunteers, then some layoffs might be necessary as well, along with maybe one furlough day a month starting in April.
Those type of cuts will affect every House member, Senator, committee and general staffers for the Congress - just like every other federal agency.
Certainly there isn't much love lost around the nation for federal workers in Washington, D.C., one reason why the troubles of the nation's capital may get a shrug of the shoulders for those who live outside the Beltway.
"About time these guys feel it for a change!" read one message to me today from a listener.
"Good they have too many staff and spend too much," wrote another.
