John Boehner Keeps Capitol Tours Open

John Boehner

Pol Light Moment #51 is when the Speaker of the House, John Boehner announced on March 7, 2013, that tours of the United States Capitol would not be cancelled due to sequestration budget cuts. John Boehner has served as the Speaker of the House of Representatives since January 3, 2011. He has represented Ohio's 8th Congressional District since 1991.

The following is a video of John Boehner making the announcement about the United States Capitol tours remaining open after the sequestration budget cuts, because the House leadership made other cuts that did not impact the tours.

Here is a copy of the letter John Boehner wrote announcing that United States Capitol tours would remain open.

March 7, 2013

The White House announced today that White House tours are being canceled effective Saturday, March 9, 2013 until further notice, due to staffing reductions resulting from sequestration.

Sequestration, as you may know, is the term for the mandatory federal budget cuts that went into effect March 1 under the terms of a bipartisan budget law enacted in 2011. Under sequestration, federal agencies are required to find ways to reduce unnecessary spending within their budgets, and to do more with less, as many American families are being forced to do in the current economy. 

While I'm disappointed the White House has chosen to comply with sequestration by cutting public tours, I'm pleased to assure that public tours of the United States Capitol will continue. Under the leadership of the House officers and their teams, who oversee daily operations in the Capitol in consultation with the Office of the Speaker, planning for the possibility of sequestration has been underway for some time. Consequently, alternative spending reductions have been implemented within the Capitol complex to ensure public tours and other regular activities can proceed as they normally would. 

I encourage you and your family to visit the U.S. Capitol during your trip to Washington, D.C. If yo haven't already made arrangements through my office for a Capitol tour, I encourage you to do so. Simply contact my congressional office at 202-225-6205

Sincerely,

John Boehner   Source of Letter

Tours of the Capitol may be scheduled at www.visitthecapitol.gov.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

The photo of John Boehner used in this post is in the Public Domain.

Rand Paul Returns $600,000 to Treasury

Rand Paul

Pol Light Moment #48 took place on February 20, 2013, when Senator Rand Paul announced he would return $600,000 in unused funds from his Senatorial Office Budget to the United States Treasury. Rand Paul has served as a U.S. Senator from Kentucky from 2011 to the present.

Rand Paul said about the return of funds in the above video, "We watch every purchase. We watch what computers we buy, we watch the paper we buy, we watch the ink cartridges. We treat the money as if it's our money, or your money, and we look at every expenditure."

The $600,000 represents 20% of Sen. Rand Paul's Senatorial office budget (Source). This is not the first time that Sen. Rand Paul has been able to return money to the Treasury because his office staff was able to watch expenses. In 2012, Sen. Rand Paul returned $500,000 back to the U.S. Treasury.

Pol Light does not endorse political candidates. We present a brighter side to politics when they are found on either side of the aisle. We don't have to agree with all of a person's politics to recognize these bright moments.

The photo of Rand Paul is in the Public Domain.