The federal budget process has been broken for some time, but this year agencies and industry alike should prepare for the possibility that none of the rules will apply.
That was the message at the Professional Services Council’s Feb. 24 discussion on this year’s budget outlook. PSC CEO David Berteau and budget expert Stan Collender both warned that government shutdowns, debt ceiling crises and dramatic cuts in federal spending all were possible.
On the other hand, they said, efforts to repeal the Affordable Care Act and reform the tax code could easily stall. (ACA repeal in particular would have far-reaching effects on operations in the Department of Health and Human Services, IRS and other agencies.)
