One Govt Job That Won't Disappear at Midnight: Shutdown Manager

If the federal government does shut down tonight, one man will draw the unhappy task of making the dismal process as painless and unchaotic as can be, the Washington Wire blog of the Wall Street Journal reports.

That would be Jeffrey Zients, an Obama administration appointee at the Office of Management and Budget. If the budget deadlock on Capitol Hill continues past midnight, Zients will become something of shutdown czar, overseeing a coast-to-coast lights-out operation that covers everything from national parks to customer service desks for military veterans' benefits.

Zients, a former private-sector CEO and management consultant, also has the title of U.S. chief performance officer. His recent assignments include a plan to sell off unused federal property. He joined the White House in 2009 as part of an initiative to improve the government's work flow.