Congress is Actually Terminating a Long Running Government Program

Sadly, it is the almost 200 year old Congressional Page program, a victim of the digital age. In the past the pages (high school juniors with a 3.0 or higher GPA) would assist House members, primarily by delivering documents, messages, & letters for them. The fact that many documents are now electronic & that lawmakers have electronic devices to field their calls has reduced the need for pages immensely.

Speaker John Boehner & Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi jointly released the following statement: "We have great appreciation for the unique role that Pages have played in the history and traditions of the House of Representatives. This decision was not easy, but it is necessary due to the prohibitive cost of the program and advances in technology that have rendered most Page-provided services no longer essential to the smooth functioning of the House. Although the traditional mission of the Page Program has diminished, we will work with Members of the House to carry on the tradition of engaging young people in the work of the Congress."

A review of the page program's annual cost estimated that it costs $5 million plus the expenses related to the dormitory & school, which puts the overall "per page"cost somewhere between $69,000 & $80,000. (note: My estimates based on these cost "per page" numbers puts it closer to $3.5 million.)

For the most part, the program has provided a wonderful opportunity for High School students to see what goes on 1sthand in DC. & help play a part in what goes on in Congress. As already pointed out, modern technology has put an end to the need for the work they do.

What surprizes me is not that there is no longer a need for the pages. What does surprize me is that they actually decided to cut a program, especially a program that is 1 of their perks. I consider the statement about its cost being prohibative a bit of political hyperbole. Let's be honest, $5 million is chump change in DC. Let's face it, it was probably more political posturing so they could say that it is proof their are serious about cutting the budget.

The next question is what will they do with the money? Will they create a new program or use it to pay down the debt? My bet is it will go to a new program or expand anopther rather than pay down the debt.

Source: House kills congressional page program