White House tours canceled, apparently due to sequester
Updated 8:50 p.m. ET
The White House is canceling all public tours, due to staffing reductions as a result of sequestration, a senior administration official tells CBS News.
The White House Visitors Office information line says tours will continue as scheduled through Friday, and will stop on Saturday, until further notice.
In an email from the Visitors Office to congressional staff, the White House said "We very much regret having to take this action, particularly during the popular Spring touring season."
In an email to constituents, House Speaker John Boehner assured tourists to the nation's capital that regardless of the tour situation at the White House, tours at the U.S. Capitol won't be affected.
"While I'm disappointed the White House has chosen to comply with sequestration by cutting public tours, I'm pleased to assure you that public tours of the United States Capitol will continue," Boehner wrote.
"Under the leadership of the House officers and their teams, who oversee daily operations in the Capitol in consultation with the Office of the Speaker, planning for the possibility of sequestration has been underway for some time," he continued.
"Consequently, alternative spending reductions have been implemented within the Capitol complex to ensure public tours and other regular activities can proceed as they normally would."