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White House cancels tours

Wednesday, March 06, 2013

Source:

TheBright.com™ News

The White House, shown above, will cancel all tours starting Saturday, citing the staff layoffs from the sequester as the reason.

The White House has canceled tours because of the sequester, and starting this weekend, the public will no longer be able to take one. Budget cuts are being blamed for the cancelations as staff layoffs are also a possibility. This Friday will be the last chance for visitors to get a tour of the White House.

The news that the White House is canceling tours did not surprise many analysts. The sequester is already being felt in Washington D.C., and this is only the beginning. There had already been tours scheduled for this weekend, but they have been canceled. The White House did not provide an estimated date for when they will reschedule them.

Although there has not been an official report on staff layoffs, a spokesperson indicated that the uniformed officers who are part of the White House tours will now be assigned to other areas. This indicates that some of the staff will be taking on new roles. It is not clear how many people will lose their jobs.

Several Republican lawmakers have responded to the news of the White House canceling tours. Sen. John Thune mocked the cancelation and mentioned that it was going to ruin people’s vacations. Meanwhile, Reince Priebus criticized the White House for making the announcement in the first place and called it a childish tactic. Others have acknowledged that the changes are a necessary part of the budget cuts.

There has been criticism that the cancelation of the tours at the White House is a publicity stunt meant to get support against the sequester. With no agreement in sight, cuts are expected to spread to other departments, and some have already reported changes. This may be the start of many other cuts in Washington and around the country.

White House tours require prior registration, and people often wait six months or longer to get a chance to visit. Although the move obviously disrupts plans for many people, some view the tours as a nonessential part of the White House that can be cut. It may be disappointing for families and children to miss the chance of seeing Lincoln’s bedroom or the state dining room, but the tours are not a crucial part. The White House has not provided a date for a possible return of the tours. However, many believe that the tours will eventually return, and this is not a permanent end.