White House and Military Departments Release Guidance as (Another) Budget Deadline Approaches

In the past week, OMB, DoD, Army, Air Force, and Navy have all released guidance directing their subordinate entities to begin planning for the possibility of sequestration (presently scheduled to result in the cancellation of approximately $85 billion in FY13 budgetary resources) beginning on March 1, 2013, and for the expiration of the FY13 Continuing Appropriations Resolution (which expires on March 27, 2013, and must either be extended or replaced with new appropriations acts to prevent a lapse in appropriations and government shutdown). While the guidance cautions that efforts to prevent sequestration and ensure continued appropriations are underway, the memos acknowledge that, as a practical matter, agencies must begin planning for the possibility that they will need to operate with dramatically reduced budgetary resources.