The Obama administration has made good on its pledge to cut $100 million from the budget:
Some of the cuts appear to be a significant sacrifice. The Department of Labor has proposed disbanding the nearly 40-year-old Employment Standards Administration, the department’s largest agency, eliminating an assistant secretary of labor and two deputy assistant secretaries at a savings of $1.75 million through 2010. Cabinet secretaries are usually loathe to make such cuts on their own.
Other cuts fall into the category of “They did what?” The U.S. Forest Service will save $1.8 million this year by ceasing to re-paint vehicles as soon as they are purchased – probably a good idea. The Animal and Plant Health Inspection Services canceled a meeting in Australia, saving $36,000. The Bureau of Reclamation’s Pacific Northwest office will get rid of its airplane for a quick $845,000.
The Justice and Treasury departments will turn off their computers at night.
Justice will encourage double-sided printing at the copy machine, and DOJ appears to have discovered Expedia and Travelocity. For a cool $4 million, government lawyers will start making travel arrangements online rather than through travel agents.






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