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White House spokesman Jay Carney has assured that the 135th annual White House Easter Egg Roll on April 1 will go on as planned despite a memo last week indicating it could possible be cancelled due to looming spending cuts.

The looming sequester crisis will not stop the Easter Bunny from visiting the White House for the 135th straight year. 

The annual White House Easter Egg Roll, hosted by President Barack Obama and First Lady Michelle Obama, will go on as planned on April 1 this year after a memo sent out by the White House last week indicated it could potentially be cancelled due to spending cuts. White House spokesman Jay Carney told reporters on Tuesday that the event is still on. 

"I just want to be clear that we are currently planning to proceed with the Easter Egg Roll," he said. "Because we distributed tickets to the Easter Egg Roll far in advance of the actual event, we alerted all ticket holders that this event is subject to cancellation due to funding uncertainty, including the possibility of a government shutdown." 

The event on the White House's South Lawn is expected to attract 35,000 people who won tickets via a lottery system. In the White House invitation sent out last week, it notes that “by using these tickets, guests are acknowledging that this event is subject to cancellation due to funding uncertainty surrounding the Executive Office of the President and other federal agencies. If cancelled, the event will not be re-scheduled.  We will notify you if there are any modifications to this event.”

"Again, the language that got attention on the Hill and was reported duly by the press was prepared well in advance, and it had to do with the potential for at least the possibility of a government shutdown should there not be a resolution on the continuing resolution,'' Carney said. "It was not about sequester principally.

"So having said that, I want to be clear that because it certainly looks like there is progress being made, and nobody expects a government shutdown, that we have every expectation that the Easter Egg Roll will proceed as planned.  I hope that settles the matter."

That led to speculation that the event would be a victim of spending cuts if a resolution is not reached to prevent a federal government shutdown. Carney had previously reassured a crowd last week that the Easter Egg Roll would go off as planned. 

The White House seemed certain that the event would survive when it released a promotional video on Monday of the Obamas' dog, Bo, prowling for Easter eggs on the White House lawn. 

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Could sequester shut down White House Easter Egg Roll? 

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This story was originally published on Tue Mar 19, 2013 1:53 PM EDT

Could politics shut down the White House Easter Egg Roll?

The annual event, along the same lines as the hokey White House tradition of the Thanksgiving Turkey pardon, will celebrate its 135th anniversary this year — unless the partisan battle over the sequester gets in the way.

A memo released by the White House last week is causing a stir, as it seems to hint that the sequester could shut down the Egg Roll.

The White House invitation to the event, which went out to all members of Congress, notes that “by using these tickets, guests are acknowledging that this event is subject to cancellation due to funding uncertainty surrounding the Executive Office of the President and other federal agencies. If cancelled, the event will not be re-scheduled.  We will notify you if there are any modifications to this event.”

More than 35,000 people are expected at the festivities on the South Lawn. The 2013 souvenir eggs come in purple, blue, yellow and pink and include the stamped figures of the president and first lady, according to the White House website. The five-pack "Collector’s Egg Set" also includes a commemorative “Bo” egg; commemorative eggs become part of the tradition in 1981, under President Reagan.  

But if you’re a Congressperson — or one of the lucky regular folks who won a ticket via the lottery system to the 2013 Easter Egg Roll on April 1 — you can breathe a sigh of relief.

A staffer at the White House Office of Legislative Affairs told TODAY.com on Monday that a cancellation of the event is unlikely.

“I wouldn’t worry about it,” he said.

On Monday, the White House seemed to anticipate that the Egg Roll would go off without a hitch, as it released a promotional video of Bo Obama hunting for Easter eggs on the White House lawn.

Press Secretary Jay Carney also reassured a crowd last week that the event would happen as scheduled.

More: Bo hunts for White House Easter Eggs

Kid President helps Obama spread the word about Easter Egg Roll

This story was originally published on Mon Mar 18, 2013 6:52 PM EDT