White House orders govt. agencies to begin shutting down The White House budget director has ordered federal agencies to begin closing down after the Senate and the House of Representatives failed to reach an agreement on a budget plan to avert a government shutdown. barack-obama.jpg - 31.86 Kb "Agencies should now execute plans for an orderly shutdown due to the absence of appropriations," Sylvia Mathews Burwell, director Of the White House Office of Management and Budget said in a memo. The order was issued 10 minutes before the US government officially ran out of money. "We urge Congress to act quickly to pass a Continuing Resolution to provide a short-term bridge that ensures sufficient time to pass a budget for the remainder of the fiscal year, and to restore the operation of critical public services and programs that will be impacted by a lapse in appropriations," Burwell said. A midnight deadline passed without agreement between the two rival groups in Congress despite an