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Subscribe to RSSAs Republicans continue to blast the White House for canceling tours due to the sequester’s budget impact, the United States Secret Service is offering further explanation about its decision to nix the visits for tourists beginning this weekend.
According to an official who broke down the numbers for NBC News, there are 37 Secret Service officers staffed for tours. They each get paid $50 per hour for eight-hour shifts. These officers work five days a week, adding up to a savings of $74,000 per week that the tours are off.
That comes to almost $2 million before the end of this fiscal year.
The Office of Management and Budget has calculated that the Secret Service may need to cut as much as $84 million from its budget due to the sequestration cuts. Last March, the service requested a budget of $1.6 billion for fiscal year 2013.
GOP lawmakers have painted the decision to call off tours due to the sequester as a publicity stunt.
As a press conference this morning, House Speaker John Boehner again called the White House’s move “silly” and invited visitors to Washington to tour the Capitol in lieu of the president’s famous home.
"Even though our budget's been cut, like everyone else's, thanks to proper planning, we're able to avoid furloughs amongst Capitol workers, and tours are going to remain available for all Americans," he said. "I think it's disappointing that the Obama administration didn't follow our lead and find savings in other parts of their budget."
NBC's Carrie Dann contributed to this report.
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At this rate of saving $74,000 a week, it will only take 260,000 years to save $1 trillion. So we need just another 260,000 similar spending cuts to balance the budget this year. If that's too much, 130,000 such spending cuts would cut the deficit in half like Obama promised to do. Of course that promise, like so many others, was meant to self-destruct immediately after the election was over.
What nobody seems to understand or is just choosing to ignore is the fact that the sequester makes equal cuts across the board for all federal funding. Saying the government should cut this instead of that can not be done in most cases. When the federal government funds federal agencies the money comes in many many different pots and has specific activities tied to that money. I work for a federal agency and you can't just take money that congress allocated for one activity and move it to another activity. That is the whole reason why sequester is a poorly thought out idea. There is no flexibility to cut where cuts are the most efficient and the least painful to an agency or program.
Also, the comments that say the cut is only 2-3% how painful is that are not telling the whole story either. Approximately two-thirds of the government funding is exempt from sequester; therefore the entire burden of the cuts are passed on to one third of the government. This makes the actual cuts to the agencies subject to sequester about 9% across the board. Because the defense department is a huge portion of those shouldering the cuts they are actually feeling the pain to the tune of about 13% while some of the smaller agencies face actual cuts of 5-8%.
Mystic - what do you mean we can't just move it from one place to another - YES we can, that's what elected officials do - we have sequester because nobody wanted to give up their pets... So since nobody could agree we cut equally.
Defense was cut two years ago and now they are being cut again - yes defense takes the biggest hit because the party with 2/3rd control likes to cut defense. Republicans allowed it... then in January they allowed tax increases - now it's the Democrats turn to do that "BALANCED APPROACH" thing I keep hearing the President talk about... Start negotiating and start eliminating redundancies from one agency to the next (we could lose a few agencies and a few administrators I'm sure) - IT'S THAT SIMPLE, isn't it..?
NJSteve - When I say we, I mean as employees of a government agency. The agencies must spend the money how it is allocated by congress and like I said the money is sent out to the agencies in many pots for very specific purposes. So only congress has the ability to change that. I am all for congress making the tough choices and allowing flexibility in how federal agencies spend their money and address cuts. But as things stand today federal agencies have not been given that flexibility by congress.
With everything that is wrong with your country, including major spending problems, the GOP is whining about canceling tours of the White House?
My God. The GOP is so inept it is truly staggering.
The GOP are not whining, they are just pointing out that the "cuts" are not viable and only a public stunt.
Whining? They are merely pointing out that Obama is intentionally making the cuts as public as possible. How do you think the rest of the world looks at us when we can't find enough money to keep tours of the White House open? Partisan and petty, it really is as simple as that.
Still would like to see Obama's mansion versus the Congress where nothing gets done thanks to partisan gridlock.
All part of Obama's confirmed effort to make any "cut" as painful as possible on the people.
The only way that would save any money is if those 37 secret service officers were fired, otherwise they still get paid which means no money is saved.
Thank you!!!! Finally someone who speaks with some intelligence! Can't anyone see how ridiculous this guy is? The answer is yes, look at his tanking poll numbers. I can already see the commercials for the 2014 election cycle.
So are the Obama's going to pay for their own vacations this year? Last year their daughter went to Mexico, along with 25 or so of her closest friends, and we paid for a small army of secret service to tag along, as well as paying for the Mexican police to baby sit too. I have heard they have a dog groomer on staff, for $102,000 a year - if they washed and groomed their own dog, like my kids did, they could run tours for over a week. How many staff and servants at the White House were cut? At HUD, instead of cutting back on paper clips, setting the thermostat back a couple of degrees, staff is having to take seven unpaid days between now and the end of the fiscal year. Instead of spreading it out, reducing staff on certain days but keeping the offices open Obama is going for maximum pain to the American people, and ALL the offices will be closed at the same time.
Let's see...$74K for a week. Now, grounding Air Force One, per hour, saves $179K (Congressional Research Office and published Air Force report in USA Today). If cancelling White House Tours (which, some may find it hard to believe, is not owned by Obama) is a proper response to the dire, draconian economic necessities of sequester, then just think what stopping these dog-and-pony road shows would save in just Air Force One costs alone....
Secondly, for those illustrating the cuts to medical research, there has been a couple proposals to allow the Administration to assume responsibility for the cuts by giving it substantial authority to pick and choose affected programs. Guess who turned that down. Aside from that, for all the research done by these entities, are you suggesting that the National Health Institute has absolutely no waste? The fact their mission is admirable does not imply a holier-than-thou culture - it can often foster a sense of entitlement in that they are too important to cut (if you doubt that you are not watching). It is becoming clear that the sky-is-falling predictions were wildly exaggerated (though some emails, such as the one from the Dept of Agriculture official that suggested that the cuts are to be made as painful as possible, should be educational).
Why is it that when the government decides to cut expenses it's always the public that suffers. And why isn't there any mention of Rand Paul's 13 hour filibuster holding the administration's feet in the fire ??
I've recently done both tours. The Capitol tour was arranged through a Senator, the 'staff' that took me on the tour were young interns working for Senator Rubio. They knew absolutely nothing about American history much less the history of the Capitol. While I'm sure the interns do not work for free, they are well connected and know far less about the historical aspects of the building then the Secret Service Agents I encountered on the tour at the White House. If Sequestration had taken place a few weeks earlier I would have gladly seen the Secret Service agents keep their jobs and forgone a White House tour. Again, I'm not knocking the interns, but it's pretty easy to keep Capitol tours going when you use your own staff. I do wonder about the Capitol Police officers at the building. Will their jobs be furloughed? Boehner never mentioned that.
$104,000 for a year to do tours WTF are you insane and I can guarentee you that the Capitol police are all in the 6 figure salary with overtime as well
This is a meaningless gesture. But, it is a start for Obama. Next, he will eliminate toilet paper from public restrooms. That is when he really means business.
The GOP Plan: If we get him to cut anything, complain about the cut as if it is his choice AS LOUD AS YOU CAN.
what nbc is reporting is a bold face lie,, as usual it's another example of how far they (nbc) are in the back pocket of Obama & his thug administration,,, plus shutting down the tours was deceitful at best,,,
Bring on the new party,,,
It's funny that "he" chose to do something that will benefit him. Giving him and his family the entire Whitehouse for his second "election". Now he can run around and party without the bother of taxpayers who wish to visit.
But then, who can afford a vacation since odumbo has not fixed the economy in the least since taking office. All he has done is increase our debt and grow government. And when obamacare kicks in next year, look out.
What a loser.
Coolhand- Now he can putt up and down the halls.
It's also being reported that his "Lazy" statement at the debates was not a joke at all. He comes in around 10:00 am and leaves around 4:00pm.
He's the perfect example of a public servant.
Nobody wants to see Moochelle sitting around in her pajamas eating BonBons on the couch anyways. Glad to see somebody in Washington saving $$$$
"Mr. Obama what should we cut?"
"Look for anything that will HURT PEOPLE."
I see carpet eatingredhead was first again.
when you have connections at first read, why wouldn't you be first nearly every time ???
He is the "boy who cried wolf" and everyone can see it now. Are you really telling me that you can't find 2 million a year to keep the tours of the "People's House" open? Partisan and petty, and his poll numbers are quickly reflecting that.
2 less golf trips and the tours would be on. It takes about 500K in expenses for that a$$hole to golf. I would bet the time with Tiger was triple that.
That is good; then shif the money to other places, such as CDC, FDA, TSA, DOD . . . to prioritize the safety and security of our nation, till Congress gives extra money to the national budget.
50 bucks an hour to watch a bunch of tourists?
Why are we paying $104000.00 per year for Secret Service, Cut $20,000.00 out per year and cap the pay at $84000.00. This is where we start cleaning up the Federal's out of control spending.
The Government has become a cancer on our lives, economy and freedoms. Only a fool would think otherwise.
I say we take it back bulldoze the White House and build a new one.
First off all you liberal Obama rump swabs stop your belly aching and whining in case you didnt see it tax revenue collections are at an all time high so if that is the case and we are still running trillion dollar deficiets then we DO have a spending problem and if paying a tour guide at the White House $104,000 a year 8 hours @$50 x 52weeksisnt a spending problem then where do I sign up for this job as the tours never even get close to the President 99% of the time. I will raise the minimum wage to $9.00 and hire 37 people at that wage for the tours and dont tell me that you believe a tour guide should be paid that salary for tours
pretty slick trick ---- increase minimum wage so that you can increase revenues.
They need serious spending solutions, not token gestures.. This is ridiculous.
This would be the equivalent of my own budget saving me $.01 per month!
Huh? Cancel the Secret Service and save billions more. Who are these idiots in Washington D.C.? ©2013
NO!! Don't cancel the Secret Service! Tell me where to send my resume!! Geez!
The SS employees are on salary; therefore, there are zero savings.
Glad to see Feisty is off her back long enough to comment on this,
haven't you ever wondered how feisty could be first so often ???
i'll give you a hint ---- it's statistically impossible, unless........
Fiesty = Chuck Todd
Chuck Todd is neither a redhead or fiesty...or from Illinois...although I am not sure of the latter.