OMB reduces number of furlough days by 2

Budget

OMB reduces number of furlough days by 2

The Office of Management and Budget originally planned for 10 furlough days. Employees were already required to take seven unpaid days off and one more is planned...

Michael O'Connell@moconnellWFED

August 20, 2013 5:48 pm

1 min read

This story has been updated to include information on HUD and IRS furlough days.

The Office of Management and Budget has jumped on the furlough-cutting bandwagon and reduced the number of unpaid days off its employees will have to take.

“OMB was able to eliminate two of the 10 originally planned furlough days through greater than expected attrition, a hiring freeze and other cost reduction measures,” OMB Spokewoman Ari Isaacman Astles said in an email.

According to an administration official, OMB employees, who are subject to administrative furloughs, were required to take seven furlough days to date. Another furlough day is planned by Sept. 30, which is the end of fiscal year 2013.

OMB has less than 500 full-time staff members.

OMB joins other agencies such as the departments of Defense and Housing and Urban Development that have been able to reduce the number of planned furlough days by finding sufficient savings in the final days of the fiscal year.

Earlier this month, DoD cut its total of number of furlough days from 11 to six, while HUD eliminated its final two planned furlough days.

In addition, the Internal Revenue Service postponed its Aug. 30 furlough day, after it had previously canceled its July 22 furlough day.

Things have changed since agencies initially sent out furlough notices, the administration official said, including actual spending versus projected planned spending.

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