As of tomorrow, White Hours tours are canceled. It’s the White House version of gamesmanship over the budget that we see at the state and local level when — shudders! — paring back government is discussed. You know how it goes — we’ll lay off teachers, we’ll end garbage collection, etc. Well, now White House tours are suspended. House Republicans are throwing it right back at the White House.
Rep. Tom Graves, R-Ga., issued a press release asking whether the White House would still allow celebrities, such as Jay-Z, Beyonce, Katy Perry and Swizz Beatz, to visit the building in exchange for donations.
“Canceling all self-guided White House tours is the latest shameless political stunt by the president, who is twisting basic government efficiency into an extreme consequence,” Graves said. “As the White House doors are slammed in the face of average Americans, I want to know if they will still swing wide open for Hollywood and the liberal elite.”
Rep. Louie Gohmert, R-Texas, decided to register his opposition legislatively. He introduced an amendment to the continuing resolution scheduled to be voted on Wednesday that would prohibit any funds in the bill from being used to transport the president to a golf course until White House tours resume.