Friday, July 31, 2009
No koalas for the Anmal and Plant Health Inspection Service (photo: Koalas.org)
President Barack Obama’s order back in April for his cabinet to locate $100 million in budget cuts has reportedly yielded just that, and then some. The Office of Management and Budget has announced federal offices found 77 cost-savings moves that will free up $102 million this fiscal year and another $140 million in FY 2010. These savings include:
U.S. Forest Service foregoing the repainting of newly-purchased vehicles ($1.8 million);
Animal and Plant Health Inspection Service canceling its planned meeting in Australia ($36,000);
Department of Homeland Security cutting back on printing documents ($317,765) and canceling newspaper subscriptions ($47,160);
Department of Housing and Urban Development doing without two printed annual reports and instead posting them online ($21,000);
Department of Labor ending leases for commercial office space and moving employees to government-owned buildings ($12.5 million in long-term savings);
Department of the Treasury upgrading its lighting system, turning off air conditioning during the evenings and weekends and shutting off computers when not in use ($553,000);
U.S. Army packing more soldiers onto chartered flights ($33.1 million this year and next);
Minerals Management Service, the Bureau of Indian Affairs, U.S. Geological Survey and the office of the Interior secretary booking their own trips and dumping travel agents ($988,000 this year and next);
Department of Education altering its conference planning policies for DC-based conferences ($65,000).
Department of Justice configuring copiers and printers to automatically print double-sided ($573,000 for this year and next)
-Noel Brinkerhoff
Meeting the $100 Million Savings Challenge (by Peter Orszag, Office of Management and Budget)
List of Recommended Savings (by agency) (Office of Management and Budget) (PDF)
$100 Million in Savings, Pinch by Pinch (by Ed O’Keefe, Washington Post)
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