Watch Live: Second House Hearing on IRS Scandal

Watch: Rioters in London Clash With Police Over ‘Cleaver’ Terror Attack

Business

White House Cancels All Public Tours and Blames Sequester

Mar. 5, 2013 3:33pm Becket Adams

Screen grab

Well, it looks like it has happened. It has finally really happened: Sequestration is taking its toll on the country.

The automatic spending cuts signed into law by President Barack Obama last week has forced the White House to cancel all public tours, the White House announced Tuesday.

Here are some details from the Washington Times:

The White House announced Tuesday that it was canceling all public tours of the president’s home because of the sequester spending cuts.

“Due to staffing reductions resulting from sequestration, we regret to inform you that White House Tours will be canceled effective Saturday, March 9, 2013 until further notice. Unfortunately, we will not be able to reschedule affected tours,” the White House said in an email.

The notice comes as both the White House and Congress try to find cuts to their own budgets as part of $85 billion in cuts to the entire government.

At the Capitol, staffers who use the building’s West Front entrance that looks out on the National Mall were told Tuesday that door would be closed as of next week in order to save money.

So, if we understand this correctly, the White House is revoking public access to a public building because of budget cuts? Well, okay then.

Also, it’s worth noting that, according to the White House website, self-guided tours are definitely a thing:

Citing Recent Automatic Budget Cuts, White House Cancels All Public Tours

Screen grab

We’re not entirely sure how sequester-related staff reductions have anything to do with self-guided tours, but we’re certain there’s a good reason.

When TheBlaze called the White House Visitors Office Information Line for comment, our call was immediately directed to a recording stating sequestration was to blame for the cancellations. The recording also suggested that we call back at a later time for more updates.

WH tours cancelled due to sequestration. No word on the OFA quarterly meetings for $500K donors.

— Nick Confessore (@nickconfessore) March 5, 2013

Follow Becket Adams (@BecketAdams) on Twitter

Featured image Getty Images. This post has been updated.

In CONTROL, Glenn Beck presents a passionate, fact-based case for guns that reveals why gun control isn’t really about controlling guns at all; it’s about controlling us. Find out more HERE.

Back to The Blaze »

Comments (178)

IMCHRISTIAN
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:25pm
Oh, sure they can’t find their waste as they are standing in it and they can’t see beyond blaming the Republicans, It ain’t gonna work.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
battles
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:19pm
Thank God! As ‘stuck on stupid’ as many Americans are today, just a visit to the White House would be enough to get them swooning for our communist leader.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
CWPrequired
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:17pm
Wow! The racial tones of using a picture from the planet of the apes and the closing of the white house are well….refreshing. Thank you The Blaze. I’m sure the other media outlets won’t let you down about this one.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Arshloch
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:11pm
That’s the best news of the day. It will insure that the stupidity from the administration will not rub off on any visitor.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Salamander
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:19pm
  Yes! With the money they save on tours, they can pay for gas for the drones over New York City!
  
  Report this comment
thegreatcarnac
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:11pm
Obama is an idiot and a liar. He closes the people’s house because of Sequester. I soooo wanted to see how michelle blended the black liberation flags with the lincoln memoralbia. I hear the oval office has a portraits of revs.Wright and Farakhan behind the prez’es chair. All the desks have Malt liquor cans with the tops cut out to be used for ash trays. Now…people will not be able to see these new changes. The obamas ‘blacked’ the white house up. Obama is an azzole.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
crusaderx9
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:10pm
Here’s a start.

1. No more obama vacations for him or his family.
2. Secret Service dissolved; post signs “In Case of Emergency Call 911”.
3. Fire all the cooks, cleaners, servants at the White House; they can cook, clean and tend to their laundry and yard like I have to do.
4. obama gets only one government car that he has to sign out and for official use only.
5. obama signs for all the stuff in the White House and it gets inventoried once a year; any missing or damaged items get charged to him personally (like military housing).
6. obama gets one phone with for official use only.
7. obama flies commercial; any other travel is audited and he must declare it, and if it is gifted to him he is taxed on it.
8. obama is charged a deposit for keeping a pet at the White House.
9. When obama lies he breaks a trust with the American people and no longer rates the benefits of government housing (the White House), he will then be evicted.
10. obama gets his medical care through the VA as commander and chief, and is assigned the lowest priority level AFTER he correctly fills out all the appropriate forms.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Exidor
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:10pm
Obammy’s temper tantrum.

Look at him kick!

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Salamander
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:18pm
  I wanna see Crocodile Tears!
  
  Report this comment
EnigmanDen
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:08pm
Had no plans to try to schedule a White House visit in the next 4 years anyway. But if there are no tours, then someone should confirm that the staff used to prepare and conduct them are truly no longer there and are no longer on the payroll.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Lovehammered
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:05pm
He either doesn’t want “the unwashed masses” in “his” house or he doesn’t want any witnesses to his socialistic takeover of the US.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
junk85224
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:04pm
Oblamer strikes again…..Its everyone else’s fault but his.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
AvengerK
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:04pm
And so after his seer like precognisance…the Obamapocalypse predicted by Barack Hussein Nostradamus begins.
I believe it was in Quatrain 20:2 where Barack said…
“The Elephant will stand stubbornly on the house of Bianca and prevent the people of the land from buying it’s t shirts and pins”.

And Quatrain 16:5

“The resident of the house will scorch his tongue and travel the land to cry and wail to the people telling them the skies will rain blood, the crops will dry up and the unborn will whither in the womb if the elephant is not brought to task before the progeny of the dark continent”.

Also in Quatrain 37:9

“the dark one will proclaim that all will be laid to waste. The eyes will fall from their sockets, the children will lay abandoned in the streets, war, famine, the cruelty of the unjust…all of this will take place if the elephant is not chained”.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:31pm
  AVENGERK, ROTFLMAO! You should come up with more of those.
  It is so.
  
  Report this comment
wilbstal
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:02pm
Obmas worried Airforce 1 will fly into a mountasin side Like ole Ron Brown did during the Clinton killer days

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
SpeakSoftlyAndCarry
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:02pm
Well lets see if Michelle & Obbie give up their expensive tax payer paid vacations?

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
autofixer
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:02pm
A elitist woman once said, “Let them eat cake!”

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
conservative karl
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:01pm
To bad he won’t stop the real waste he personally creates taking trips to… Hawaii, Chicago, California, Colorado, The Grand Canyon…. With the technology we have, and the resources available to the President, there is no excuse for the President to take these trips, at taxpayer expense, when we all know he is only using those trips to campaign and trash Republicans…. Ok, maybe for one or two weeks out of the year going to his home state for a holiday, or taking a SINGLE vacation to do some sight seeing with his family is a reasonable accomidation… but when every other day he is in a different state talking to people directly at town hall meetings, schools, or businesses, is not when he can just as easily communicate with those places in real time over a live feed and not have to spend all the extra money to arrange secret service security details, air travel, police escorts, and who knows what else just to tell lies.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
Salamander
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:01pm
With the circus act this President is promulgating, what I’d like to know is: “Just WHO is GRINDING THE ORGAN?”

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:33pm
  SALAMANDER, I am not about to touch that question with a ten foot pole, but you certainly have me laughing so hard that I may still fall out of my chair.
  
  Report this comment
Sargeking
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 3:59pm
After this latest outrage, I need to submit my own Sequester cuts. 1) No more Franking (free postage) permitted for politicians. 2) Politicians must buy Obamacare and not skirt the matter with five free government paid health insurance programs. 3) Retroactive term limits for hardcore Dem Senators where they must pay back all of the money they were paid. 4) No more campaigning on the Bully Pulpit on the taxpayer dime. 5) Cut the global vacations to short weekends at Camp David or a White House barbecue of Kobe steaks, especially for the White House dog.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
TIMEBOMB
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 3:58pm
Dear loyal subjects I must take this drastic measure to ensure we have enough funny money to run my regime. I take this action with a heavy dark heart but look on the bright side I’ll be able to have my SS men all to myself with no interruptions from my grubby little serfs or my hideous beard! Dick Smothers is turning out to be quite the stallion because he can ride for hours,non stop. That’s the reason I’m standing here typing this.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
qpwillie
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 3:58pm
I’m guessing Moochelle’s expensive vacations won’t be affected by the sequester.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
gyro
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 3:58pm
yaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaaa

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply
steve_CPO-USN-Retired
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 3:55pm
The “one” is now taking a page out of leftist (D) mayors’ handbook. No tax increases = I cut police, fire, ambulance/EMT services and trash pickup. Now as mayor, I will retain my wife and her three worthless sisters (my assistants don’t you know), my deadbeat cousins, etc. down in the municipal motor pool (who either don’t so up to work, or if they do, play solitaire or surf porn on city time). God forbid, I take some cuts that are logical: Like instead of grass cutting in the city parks every week, change it to every other week.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Salamander
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:02pm
  He’s just a LITTLE CONFUSED! He thinks he is MAYOR OF THE UNITED STATES!
  
  Report this comment
darkeningskies
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 3:55pm
EXCUSE ME!!!!!!!

“The White House announced Tuesday that it was canceling all public tours of the president’s home because of the sequester spending cuts.”

That is NOT the kenyan’s home it is America’s home

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Salamander
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:17pm
  Let’s sequester Air Force One! That ought to hobble the little magician a bit!
  
  Report this comment
elosogrande
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 3:54pm
I would like to see a listing of all employees involved in the “staff reduction”. Why do I sense a total b—s— moment here? If they can’t come up with a list immediately, they should fire the drone who made the statement.

No more lying to the American Taxpayer!

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Salamander
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:03pm
  Hey, I guess it is THEIR perogative to furlough the TOUR GUIDES first! If we had OUR WAY, we’d furlough The White House Chef–and starve the little bastard out!
  
  Report this comment
termyt
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 3:54pm
Having the little people under foot all the time was a bother anyways. Let them get back to ruling.

Report this comment
Log in to ReplyReply
- Salamander
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:17pm
  Better check under the desk in the Oval Orfice!
  
  Report this comment
- RJJinGadsden
  Posted on March 5, 2013 at 4:36pm
  SALAMANDER, Is Larry Sinclair still a survivor then?
  
  Report this comment
RJJinGadsden
Posted on March 5, 2013 at 3:51pm
Sequesteria just gets even funnier.

Report this comment
Log in to Reply Reply

It appears that you have Javascript Disabled. Please enable Javascript in your browser preferences for a better user experience on TheBlaze. You can not comment without Javascript enabled.