With the government in shutdown mode, many federal agencies today find themselves operating with skeleton crews. The White House is no different. The shutdown contingency plan put forward by the Executive Office of the President calls for the furlough of nearly 1,300 employees, with just 436 remaining on the job.
Of the lucky White House staffers who get to keep working through the shutdown, 118 are in the Office of Management and Budget, which is probably a good thing as OMB is tasked with trying to manage this mess. The National Security Council and Office of the US Trade Representatives also get to keep a few dozen staffers each, but the rest of the White House is going bare bones, including the residence, where only 15 of more than 90 full-time employees will continue to tend to the President Obama and his family.
One staffing department that is definitely being cleared out? Interns. Although interns and volunteers are not mentioned specifically on the White House’s contingency plan, at a briefing yesterday, Press Secretary Jay Carney said that unpaid White House workers won’t be working through the shutdown. “I don’t believe that has been the case and is not the case now that volunteers or interns would be working,” he said in response to a reporter who reminded Carney that during the November 1995 shutdown, White House interns stayed on the job. And a fateful encounter occured on the second day of that spell.
“Ms. Lewinsky testified that Wednesday, November 15, 1995-—the second day of the government shutdown—marked the beginning of her sexual relationship with the President,” the Starr Report memorably reads.
Probably just a safe bet to let the interns stay home and take advantage of the drink specials.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
White House Keeps the Interns Home During This Shutdown
Considering what happened with the interns the last time there was a government shutdown, this is probably the safe bet.
Benjamin Freed joined Washingtonian in August 2013 and covers politics, business, and media. He was previously the editor of DCist and has also written for Washington City Paper, the New York Times, the New Republic, Slate, and BuzzFeed. He lives in Adams Morgan.
Most Popular in News & Politics
Washington DC’s 500 Most Influential People of 2025
Pardoned January 6 Rioter Arrested for Breaking and Entering in Virginia
Rock Creek Isn’t Safe to Swim In. RFK Jr. Did It Anyway.
Kennedy Center Prez Calls for Federal Investigation of Kennedy Center, Caps Player Pepper-Sprayed in Arlington, and Trump Decries Online Harassment
Kristi Noem Wants a New Plane and a Reality Show, Kennedy Center Staff Plans to Unionize, and Trump’s Birthday Parade Could Cost $45 Million
Washingtonian Magazine
May Issue: 52 Perfect Saturdays
View IssueSubscribe
Follow Us on Social
Follow Us on Social
Related
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia
What’s the Deal With “Republican Makeup”?
DC Might Be Getting a Watergate Museum
DC-Area Universities Are Offering Trump Classes This Fall
More from News & Politics
Jeanine Pirro Wants Taxpayers to Fund Her Bottled Water
The Latest on the DC Museum Shooting, and Other News for Thursday Morning
MSNBC Host Jonathan Capehart on His Candid New Memoir
The Latest on the June 14 Trump Military Parade in DC
Gerry Connolly Dies at 75
Will Elon Musk Ever Leave DC?
Elon Musk Is Still Just About to Leave Town, DC’s Population Ballooned Last Year, and Gordon Ramsay Will Zhuzh Up a Local Restaurant Tonight
Kings Dominion’s Wild New Coaster Takes Flight in Virginia