There will be some pain regardless. It has to happen or the government is going to fail. Try working in private industry. The cuts would have happened years ago in private industry. Years back, when I lost my job working for a company contracted with a Federal agency, I was at first indignant and felt I was worth what I was paid. I passed up jobs paying 30% less that were offered even before I lost my government supported job. I was looking for a higher paying job and believed at that time that I was well worth it. Reality sets in when you burn through all your savings trying to maintain and finally you accept the job at a 30% reduction in pay and believe you're doing okay. At that point, you're "fighting" to get the job at a 30% reduction because there are people willing to do it for less. Tis the way it works.
The end result is I burnt through all of my savings. I had nothing to fall back on. The savings could not be replenished from the new job salary. Time goes on and something else happens... over time you prove yourself at the new job and eventually are again one of the guys making the highest salaries in the company and you get cut again to save money.... but the new job salary only generally increased at about the inflation rate... so you never recover and you're dead meat when the next cut happens.
All this happens as you age as well and eventually the age factor kicks in and you are not even considered for a new job because there are people half your age willing to work for what they consider is a good salary in private industry. Few companies are going to hire a new employee for any significant position when they have less than 10 years of effective employment life left... they go with the younger person just about every time unless you have special talents. This is life.