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White House cancels public tours due to sequester cuts
The White House said Tuesday that it has to cancel public tours beginning this Saturday due to sequester government spending cuts.
"Due to staffing reductions resulting from sequestration, we regret to inform you that White House tours will be canceled effective Saturday, March 9, 2013, until further notice," according to a notice sent by the White House visitors Office to congressional offices.
"We very much regret having to take this action, particularly during the popular Spring touring season," the White House notice said.
The White House offers free self-guided tours to the public in the morning from Tuesday through Saturday. U.S. citizens should schedule through one's Member of Congress in the Capitol Hill. Citizens from other countries could contact their embassy in Washington D.C. for assistance in submitting a tour request.
According to the White House website, requests can be submitted up to six months in advance and no less than 21 days in advance and tourists are encouraged to submit their requests as early as possible.
U.S. President Barack Obama signed an order last Friday to start an 85-billion-U.S.-dollar across-the-board government spending cuts after U.S. lawmakers failed to reach a replacement plan. The automatic government spending cuts, or "sequester" in U. S. government budget language, were included in the August 2011 debt-ceiling package to force lawmakers to come up with a long- term deficit reduction plan.
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相关新闻：美国白宫5日宣布，受自动减赤机制启动的影响，将自9日起取消为公众免费提供的白宫游览项目。
对美国眼下正在放春假的学生和计划于3月底来华盛顿参加樱花节的游客来说，不得不从行程单上取消掉白宫这样一个重要景点。白宫访客办公室当天通告说，由于自动减赤机制启动造成人手减少，白宫不得不从9日起取消公众白宫游览项目，且何时恢复未定。
该部门还说，无法为已申请成功的游客重新规划行程，而且特别对正值旅游高峰期作出这一决定感到遗憾。
据美国媒体报道，一名白宫高级官员透露，受自动减赤机制影响，特工处人手不足，原定在公众游览项目中保障白宫安全的人员不得不另作安排。
白宫目前每周周二至周六上午时段提供公众自助游览项目，但美国公民须通过所属州的联邦议员办公室预订，非美国公民则须寻求所属国家驻美使馆的帮助来预订。按白宫官方网站的说法，游客须最早提前半年、最晚提前21天预订行程，而且由于场地有限、活动抢手，游客应及早预订。
由于美国民主、共和两党无法在削减赤字问题上弥合分歧，美国总统奥巴马3月1日签署政令，正式启动2012财政年度自动减赤机制，削减国内公共开支和国防开支，总额为850亿美元。 |
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发表于 2016-7-11 09:56:53