White House tours canceled, apparently due to sequester

Updated 8:50 p.m. ET

The White House is canceling all public tours, due to staffing reductions as a result of sequestration, a senior administration official tells CBS News.

The White House Visitors Office information line says tours will continue as scheduled through Friday, and will stop on Saturday, until further notice.

• Obama calling GOP senators to talk sequester fix
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In an email from the Visitors Office to congressional staff, the White House said "We very much regret having to take this action, particularly during the popular Spring touring season."

In an email to constituents, House Speaker John Boehner assured tourists to the nation's capital that regardless of the tour situation at the White House, tours at the U.S. Capitol won't be affected.

"While I'm disappointed the White House has chosen to comply with sequestration by cutting public tours, I'm pleased to assure you that public tours of the United States Capitol will continue," Boehner wrote.

"Under the leadership of the House officers and their teams, who oversee daily operations in the Capitol in consultation with the Office of the Speaker, planning for the possibility of sequestration has been underway for some time," he continued.

"Consequently, alternative spending reductions have been implemented within the Capitol complex to ensure public tours and other regular activities can proceed as they normally would."

[gtom52]

The prez is such a liar! What a sham and our military is also getting shafted on what they were promised!

[Jo2013C]

This is just another way for this President to lock the people out. Has nothing to do with budget cuts. I would like just once for this man to do something good FOR the American people and our country.

[justgettingby]

Great !! my 7 y/o son decided he wanted to go to see the White House this year for spring break instead of Disney. How do I explain this?

[dhs55]

Explain to him he has a petty little man for a President who decided to throw a tantrum...in other words the truth..

[betty1122]

Big bully can save money by not going golfing with Tiger Woods at the cost of 1 million dollars.

Cancelling tours only punish the children. White House tours are given by unpaid interns

My son was an intern for a Congressman while in college and my unpaid son gave the tours, for the people that came to visit DC from the Congressman's state

[betty1122]

OK

[OldTimeTruth]

House Speaker John Boehner you wanted all this to happen so shut the tours down at Capitol as well. It costing us. You can't have it both ways so you think you can look good.

[gtom52]

Are you really that stupid to believe what you wrote? Take your head out of your ass and wake up you idiot.

[fxr60]

The White House has VOLUNTEERS for guides!! This is all politics! Just like "all the airports are reporting long lines and waits" LIE. A reporter check with the biggest and they said "No, just like usual". Today we hear they are telling the agriculture people to say they are causing them losses-a email was leaked that the head of it puting this out to heads of Ag. committee. What a bunch of cry babies calling "Wolf" when they don't get their way. Obama is such a narcissistic arrogant and his "Ilk" they will do or say anything. A bunch of us were watching TV when it came out about the WH tours and we about fell over laughing! Obama flies around campaigning at the tax payers expense of $178,000 a mile on Airforce one and all the vacations, golf, etc. big dinners at the WH, and they put out this idiot report on the WH tours-even some Democrats thought that was beyond the pale!!!!

[Uneed2BWeened]

Crazy how this sequester just pop out and took all that money. If only they would have known it could happen, they could have saved a little. It's not like it was signed into law or anything.

[Julie490]

White House tours are self-guided, with only a handful of emlployees in charge of providing visitors with the info. and headsets, etc. One of Obama's golfing trips would cover their salaries. If we are required to make sacrifices, can't Obama make such a small sacrifice? Or how about Michelle managing with a smaller staff? It is outrageous that only WE are asked to make sacrifices while the Obamas continue to squander MILLIONS of our tax $$$ in their lavish lifestyle

[Barry-been-inhalin]

If this does not prove that Obama does not give a rats azz about this countries citizens I don't know what will. Hey Obama...keep the tours going for the people and get rid of housekeeping and your personal chefs.

[fxr60]

Berry, I think Obama's cociane sniffing days and smoking dope are coming back to bite him in the a$$!! All he wants to do is play politics, we have people here in my town that have wrote on our "sound off" page in our newspaper saying that they have NEVER BEEN SO ASHAMED to be a Democrat until Obama and his ilk got to the WH and pulling all this idiotic stunts. Some say they will NEVER vote for Dems. again because of the party getting so far out to the left and trying to make us a Socialist nation!