Hallelujah. The budget crisis is over.
Lo and behold, the House GOP has brilliantly determined that if they cut the waste in their own operating budget, they’ll be able to save us American taxpayers approximately… $475,000.
Yes, ladies and gentlemen, House staffers have reverted back to plastic utensils instead of the compostable ones championed by Former Speaker Nancy Pelosi’s “Green the Capitol” initiative, a change that will save the nation the equivalent of two years of John Boehner’s salary.
House Administration Chairman Dan Lungren said in a statement:
"After a thorough review of the House's composting operations, I have concluded that it is neither cost effective nor energy efficient to continue the program. Therefore, I have directed the CAO to suspend the program until further notice.”
… According to information provided by the House IG and the CAO, the composting program has increased the House's overall operating costs by an estimated $475,000 annually. … According to the IG, the program has only achieved carbon reductions equivalent to removing one car from the road each year.
Green the Capitol cut energy consumption in House office buildings by more than 20 percent, reduced water use by more than 30 percent, and saved or recycled more than 2,000 tons of paper, according to a House report. If the composting program wasn’t up to par, it would obviously be worthwhile to make it more cost and energy efficient rather than simply regressing to Styrofoam.
But again, House Republicans have made their priorities clear. Making a scene about health care, taking away women’s rights, and proving some point about environmental activism are way more important than actually reducing the deficit. And heaven forbid Lungren’s forks kept breaking.