House Shuts Down Page Program

House leaders have decided it’s no longer fiscally responsible to have their messages conveyed via teenagers. (Or perhaps they’ve decided it’s a matter of safety, considering that there have been a number of scandals involving the high school students over the years.) In a joint statement, John Boehner and Nancy Pelosi announced that they’re shutting down the page program after 175 years in order to save $5 million. Though technology has made pages obsolete, many of the program’s alumni, like George Washington University law professor Jonathan Turley, are angry that they didn’t get a chance to fight to save it. Turley says:

“There’s a simple elegance and power to having the rising generation present in our government. This is an institution that is truly priceless that is being put up on the block to save an insignificant amount of money.”