Re: Is the Government Going to Open?
Posted by:
All That Matters ...
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Date: September 30, 2013 12:57AM
Imagine ... the government is heading into a shutdown mode, but agencies within the federal government are working hard to spend the remaining money in their budgets. Nearly $150K in toner cartridges. Who the hell prints that much? A half-million in art work? It won't cover much up as most government agencies look like crap when you get into them.
From the Washington Post:
This past week, the Department of Veterans Affairs bought $562,000 worth of artwork.
In a single day, the Agriculture Department spent $144,000 on toner cartridges.
And, in a single purchase, the Coast Guard spent $178,000 on “Cubicle Furniture Rehab.”
This string of big-ticket purchases was an unmistakable sign: It was “use it or lose it” season again in Washington.
All week, while Congress fought over next year’s budget, federal workers were immersed in a separate frantic drama. They were trying to spend the rest of this year’s budget before it is too late.
The reason for their haste is a system set up by Congress that, in many cases, requires agencies to spend all their allotted funds by Sept. 30.
If they don’t, the money becomes worthless to them on Oct. 1. And — even worse — if they fail to spend the money now, Congress could dock their funding in future years. The incentive, as always, is to spend.