"The King and US" - White House postpones annual congressional picnic.

"The King and US" - White House postpones annual congressional picnic.(TheHill).

The White House will not hold its annual congressional picnic in June, according to sources familiar with the planning.

The annual event, traditionally held for Senate and House members and their families, might happen in September instead. The administration blamed automatic spending cuts for canceling tours of the White House, but a source close to the situation said delaying the bipartisan, bicameral picnic was “schedule-related, not sequester-related.”

It’s unclear what factors will determine whether the White House will hold the event in September. But even if the picnic happens then, fewer children will be able to attend because school will be back in session. That fact has irritated people who have attended in the past.

Over the last week, frustration on Capitol Hill mounted as to why the White House was taking so long to make the call. Sources speculated that sequestration politics was at play.

As of Monday evening, the White House had not made an official announcement on the picnic.

Lawmakers however, received a notice on Monday afternoon from the White House Office of Legislative Affairs: “The White House Congressional Picnic for Members of Congress and their families will not take place in June this year. We are hopeful that we will be able to reschedule this event for September.”

When the White House canceled the public tours earlier this year, some lawmakers proposed that the administration make cuts elsewhere, such as limiting the parties thrown for Congress and members of the media.

At that time, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio) called the White House’s decision “just silly,” noting that tours of Capitol Hill would continue.

The matter came up in a rare closed-door meeting that President Obama held with members of the House GOP Conference in mid-March.

Rep. Candice Miller (R-Mich.), chairwoman of the House Administration Committee, asked why Obama ended the White House tours in light of the sequester instead of the annual Christmas Party or congressional picnic.

The president said the Secret Service didn’t want to have to furlough staff and opted instead to cut non-essential tasks.Read the full story here.