Canceling the White House tours saves the nation a relative pittance, lending credence to Republican charges that shuttering the People’s House had more to do with politics than the sequester.
According to ABC News, stopping the tours saves the federal government only about $18,000 per week, even as it causes massive disappointment to many – including schoolchildren – who had been planning for weeks to visit the White House.
ABC calculates that the White House is open for visits for about 20 hours per week and the tours require around 30 Secret Service agents at $30 per hour.
ABC White House correspondent Jonathan Karl, who filed the report, ran into House Speaker John Boehner on Capitol Hill. Boehner commented, “We’re open.”
H/T to Ed Morrissey at Hot Air.
First he punishes the kids with forced civics lesson appearances as his shills, then this. Did anyone see O’Reilly and Dennis Miller–O’Reilly seems to be undergoing some epiphany over how non-well-meaning Obama is and Den Den said, “I don’t know how direct to be with you, Billy–but he is not as nice as you think and he is not as smart as you think.”
Loved that O ‘Reilly has been far to kind IMO but Dennis is not as
naive or pandering for viewers.
I was wondering when someone would mention that episode. Did you see O’Reilly’s exchange with Alan Holmes? I hope his tirade sheds some light on this situation with some people, but probably the ones that should be listening, aren’t and the ones who are, already know.
Yeah–true. But one good joke came of it–Gutfeld said O’Relly’s next book will be KILLING COLMES.
Or at least in the immortal words of Archie Bunker ‘Stifle Colmes’
It was a play on his best-selling book titles–thought it was clever.
Wow! ABC News. That video was devastating towards the WH.
I read the janitors make $1000. a week! Seriously!? Maybe that would be a great place to start saving money…let Michelle and her girls “get moving” and help out a bit…
Why can’t the Congressmen and Senators dump their own waste baskets and run the vacuum around their offices?
Obama cannot see beyond the tip of his nose. I don’t have statistics but many of the people whom he is denying access to the People’s House voted for him.
He doesn’t need their votes anymore, so why bother? He is all about himself. If he doesn’t need you, you don’t exist.
Did I miss that the Secret Service agents were laid off or fired? If not, then nothing was “saved”, they’re still getting paid.
Everyone, e.v.e.r.y.o.n.e., knows that this is a childish, ham-fisted political move by the Obama administration that wants to punish Congress for something that he proposed, then signed into law.
It’s to his shame and disgrace that he used the American icon, the WhiteHouse, for a typical Chicago-style thuggish ploy.
srdem, community organizer that he is, “Its MY house!” and his actions prove it. Never thought we’d see POTUS become a code word for Pouter Of The United States.
The SS personnel for the tour are mostly uniformed officers who get pulled in to perform the detail. The will go back to the regular assigned duties outside of the WH therefore the WH will not be charged (they pay the SS for some of the WH Grounds details out of the WH Budget – the SS is apart of DHS)
So this is only a shiting of funds — sort of a magician’s shell game.
“…shiting of funds …” – mo1
Not that they don’t do exactly THAT, but was this a Freudian slip, or an honest mistake?
Honest mistake, but now that I think about it …..
With all the heat, ridicule and derision that is being heaped on MrO for this closure, it occurs to me that “the dog didn’t bark”.
There hasn’t been one Dem, or political supporter, who has come out publically to support the closure of WhiteHouse tours. Not one.
Even the most rabid of political pundits are silent on this issue.
Very mysterious when the dog doesn’t bark in the night.
The only time a federal employee receives extra pay (at least in my son’s case) is when they are sent more than 30 miles from their “home office”, so I questioned that $30/hr also. In the case of flying the SS to Hawaii, they are paid $300+ more a day for living and dining expenses. I say cut back on the luxury vacation destinations and give the WH back to the people !
I think it is time for the people, by force if necessary, to reopen the house.
My son who is in the middle class public school system is going on a school trip next and now won’t visit “The Palace” (formally known as the White House).
We’re talking to him about not worrying about being petty and he get’s it. His question back was why doesn’t the President get it? Well.. that’s an on-going discussion.
Thousands of kids, not being able to visit the White House due to President Petty is what we call in our house -which is still open to your friends altthough
..although we are also stretched financially.
This is Obamas “Education Reform Act”.
Barry does not get it because Barry is a petulant little punk.
My favorite part of the story is where the reporter indicated he took a 20-car motorcade with lots of Secret Service agents 6 blocks to have dinner with RINOs (my term) – maybe next time he can order in. Ouch! Hope this little stunt backfires big time on the petulant potentate…
I bet weewon’s big night out with her alpha pals cost way more including the
security. Also bet BO’s bunny ears photo shoot wasn’t cheap either.
We’re way past Nero’s fiddling.
$18,000 a week? What’s that?
Maybe 5 minutes air time for AF1 on Obama’s weekly jaunts, a couple rounds of golf.
Air Force One is actually 180 grand per hour, so it’s actually a little closer to six minutes, for what it’s worth.
Obeyme spent 36 hours on Air Force One for his two hops to Hawaii in December. That right there could have funded White House tours for nearly 7 years.
Bet this was FLOTUS’s idea. She does not want peons in her house!
So sad for families that had a visit to the WH on their Washington agenda.
Mooch spends more than that on clothes, parties, and booze per week.
I don’t know what the hooraw is here. I would pay good money NOT to look at the house Obama is currently disgracing, and DOUBLE to get OUT if I accidentally wandered in!
Besides, what’s the tour like anyway?
“This is the room where The President makes his drone strike decisions every Tuesday! And if you look at this antique desk, that antique coffee table, and the other antique armorie you’ll see how The President has TRULY made his mark in history by the chips in them from him putting up his feet! Now we’ve come to the room where Michelle had the potato sack race with Jimmy Fallon – mind the dents on the Michelle side, folks, wouldn’t want anyone getting hurt – and over here is the door to the Situation Room, noted for hosting a glittering array of celebreties, but most notably Beyonce and Jay-Z. Sorry folks, you can’t go in, you’re not famous enough… but LOOK AT THIS! It’s where Michelle’s garden WOULD be, if she actually HAD one! Up on the mantle is the shotgun the President shoots skeet with. Notice the unusal side breaching that makes smoke where shotguns don’t usually, and the slight barrel curvature that allows it to shoot aerial targets while holding it dead level? And HERE is the Big Screen TV that The President and Secretary Hillary watched Benghazi unfold o…whats that Ms. Jarret? Move on, and don’t do this ever again? Sorry. Anyway, we’re going to skip the kitchen part today, people – Bo #47 went in there, and The President has that look in his eye…”
No thanks, no tour for me – and I don’t recommend it for you….
Actually the rooms are surprisingly small, emphasized by the high ceilings and jammed in antiques. Now we learn how small the occupants are, too.
Well done, cincycinco. Bo #47? Ha ha ha! Great analogy, Star.
Price is no object when it comes to punishing Americans.
white house tour 18k. the american peoples white house. my closed to the press 3 day golf vacation one mill!!!
Check out this White House petition asking the President to stop charging taxpayers for his vacations while the sequester is in effect:
http://wh.gov/GMFF
[…] salary of $277,050. Their jobs are not impacted in any way by the sequester budget cuts. Today White House Dossier is reporting that stopping tours of the White House saves about $18,000 per […]
Hmmm. Some nameless faceless bureaucrat unbeknownst to President Revenge or Big Sis starts releasing illegal alien criminals in advance of the actual sequestration start. One of the President’s first acts is to delay a ship to the ME, (didn’t learn much about preparedness after all post Benghazi) and now to close the people’s house, as Moochelle referred to it, to the people. Now I read in Politico that plans are being readied for the Obamas trip to Martha’s Vineyard this summer which I expect will be just about the time the National Parks are closed to the realm’s subjects and their families.
Despite the recent dinner out with this RHINO friends McCain and Grahamnesty color me suspicious. M&G are cheap dates for Obama. The rest of us will be made to suffer. And Mr,. McCain and Mr. Graham will continue to repay the President’s with their votes, Free stuff and all.
Did it really save any money$ That would require the Secret Service (SS??!!) officers to have been taken off the payroll. If they were reassigned to other duties, there is no savings.
When some one sarches for his necessary thing, thus he/she wishes to
be available that in detail, thus that thing is maintained
over here.
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