Former officials sound off on the challenges of managing through a shutdown – By Natalie Alms (Nextgov) / Sept 20, 2023
“The big thing that happens..is lots of lawyers weighing in on what activities are actually exempt,” one former official said.
What stops and what keeps going in government during a lapse in appropriations? The short answer is that it often depends, former Office of Management and Budget executives said Wednesday.
The question is relevant now especially as lawmakers work to avert a potential shutdown at the end of the month.
If a shutdown does happen, how that affects different government employees and programs depends on a range of factors, said Margaret Weichert, former acting Office of Personnel Management director and former deputy director for management at OMB during the Trump administration, during a Wednesday event at the Bipartisan Policy Center.
