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March 4, 2013 – A federal sequester of budget dollars went into effect Friday and is expected to trigger a series of federal furloughs and other spending reductions affecting defense and non-defense spending, and NAFCU is working to gather information from credit unions on their plans for helping members.

The first furlough notices went out a few days before March 1, or "furlough Friday." Both the Justice Department and National Labor Relations Board sent notices several days in advance; Justice is telling some 115,000 workers to expect no more than 14 days of planned furloughs. Rep. Elijah Cummings, D-Md., ranking member of the House Committee on Oversight and Government Reform, provided access to the Justice Department letter Friday.

Notices of furloughs are required to be sent 30 days in advance of the periods covered.

NAFCU is monitoring these activities and encouraging members to send the association information about their plans to help affected members. The association is sharing information from its members with Hill offices, federal government agencies and servicemember organizations so their constituents can identify programs that may be helpful to them.

Send information on these preparations to Quincy Enoch, NAFCU's associate director of legislative affairs and military liaison, at qenoch@nafcu.org.

• "U.S. cuts become real with furlough notices sent to thousands," 3/1, Reuters
• "Two agencies send early-bird furlough notices," 3/1, The Washington Post Federal Eye blog
• "Furlough Friday: 10 Questions and Answers," 2/28, The Washington Post Federal Eye blog