Kass mentioned the furlough while talking to reporters about Let's Move, a childhood obesity initiative of first lady Michelle Obama. The program will not be affected by automatic budget cuts that took effect on March 1 but he said, "We're being furloughed."
A White House spokesman who accompanied Kass to the briefing declined to comment and the White House provided no details. Kass said he continues to cook for the Obamas weekly despite his increasing duties with Let's Move.
The White House has an executive chef and four assistant chefs. It was unclear whether other chefs would be affected by furloughs forced by budget cuts. Some federal workers face furloughs of one day a week through September 30, but the impact varies among agencies. Some cut spending sufficiently to avoid any furloughs.
