President Clinton’s Cabinet met Saturday with the administration’s top expert on the Year 2000 technology problem to discuss how government agencies will respond to possible Y2K-related computer failures.

It was the first time the Cabinet had assembled for the sole purpose of discussing the Y2K glitch.

The government has expressed increasing confidence that there will be no nationwide failures of the most important computer systems. But it has acknowledged the likelihood of localized failures in parts of the United States; even more severe problems are anticipated overseas.

“The sense in the room was that certainly there is work left to do, but government has made some real strides in the past year,” said John Koskinen, Clinton’s top Y2K advisor.


Koskinen said the Cabinet reviewed how individual agencies respond to emergencies and the implications for other areas of government.

Koskinen is organizing a government-wide coordination center near the White House to share with other agencies information about any Y2K failures during the New Year’s weekend.