OMB Directs Agencies to Prepare for Sequestration

OMB has recently issued internal guidance directing agencies to begin preparing for sequestration, prompting numerous agencies to reveal their intent to furlough employees, reduce office hours, and scale back or eliminate contracts should budget cuts occur as scheduled in January 2013. While the White House denied that the guidance signals pessimism about a budget deal, and events over the weekend suggest that the broad outlines of an agreement are coming together, the release of the guidance nonetheless recognizes that the time remaining for negotiating a resolution to avoid sequestration is growing short.