Grab those free government pens while you still can.
President Obama yesterday ordered all federal agencies to stop passing out swag and souvenirs willy-nilly.
The “Promoting Efficient Spending” executive order that Obama signed yesterday mandates that agencies curtail “extraneous promo- tional items” like coffee cups, clothing, T-shirts and pens “where they are not cost effective.”
The federal swag ban is part of Obama’s broader order to cut some $4 billion in government waste by trimming travel, technology and printing budgets by 20 percent.
Fortunately, one of the most coveted items of swag — official White House cuff links — are paid for from private funds and won’t be affected. They are also available for $30 a pair at the White House gift shop.
“We haven’t seen as much action out of Congress as we’d like, and that’s why we launched on our own initiative in the campaign to cut waste,” said Obama, who pointed out that he is looking at all cost savings, big and small.
It’s not just freebies in the spotlight.
The executive order will cull the $9 million federal agencies spend on travel within Washington, DC, and significantly cut down on the amount of publications printed when the same documents are available online.