By Mark Abrams

PHILADELPHIA (CBS) — A coalition of area advocacy groups is sounding the alarm about the impending federal budget cuts, saying thousands will be hurt unless Congress and the White House act.

You can call them “Fiscal Cliff II” or “sequestration” or anything else ominous, but to the groups who serve the unemployed and those on medical assistance, they’re just plain bad news.

Mannwell Glenn, of the Philadelphia Unemployment Project, says somebody in Washington needs to carry the fiscal football, do the right thing and stop governing by crisis.

“The unemployed are the most vulnerable right now. If these cuts go through, they’ll be even more vulnerable,” Glenn says.

Tracy Mulvehill, of Philadelphia, is a former office manager for a multi-million-dollar construction company. She says she’s been out of work for a year and is worried about losing benefits if the mandatory cuts go into effect.

“It’s hard out there. For every position open, there’s like seven to eight people trying to get that position,” Mulvehill says.

Glenn and Mulvehill are among those hoping a deal to end the overall fiscal crisis comes soon.