FDA furlough threat

Executive Summary

FDAers and other HHS employees have been told to show up for work on Oct. 9 although the threat of furloughs has been revived by the House of Representative's 254 to 179 vote against the budget summit agreement on Oct. 5. On the same day, the government's stopgap omnibus spending bill expired and President Bush said he would not sign another temporary funding bill unless a budget resolution is passed. HHS made preparations to furlough FDAers for about seven days a month in case the Gramm-Rudman law goes into effect, but the agency said it would not do so during the first two weeks of October.