Multiple committees in the House of Representatives sent letters, and in the case of the Government Oversight Committee, subpoenas, to nearly one hundred offices and individuals throughout government last week.  While you may well have seen the headline, you may not have realized that these developments may distract some of your federal customers and slow the pace of business.They will.  Any time the Congressional oversight apparatus kicks into high gear agencies tend to call “all hands”, even if the number of people directly covered is relatively small.  First, someone – who is not the individual to whom the letter went – must gather whatever documentation the Congressional committee asked for.  Second, most agencies hold concomitant meetings to ensure that there are no other immediate closet skeletons that could widen the initial probe.  Senior level agency people you might want to call on for new business could have their schedules impacted.  If you’re already performing a critical support mission inside an agency your company, too, may want to conduct a quick double check to ensure that billing and other administrative matters are all running smoothly.  Congress isn’t the only branch of government causing a rush to the copier machines, either.  A federal court also ruled last week that GSA must turn over more documents than it originally did on the FBI headquarters issue.  Distractions abound.  Make sure you know what’s tugging at your customer and stay focused.