As Republicans continue to blast the White House for canceling tours due to the sequester’s budget impact, the United States Secret Service is offering further explanation about its decision to nix the visits for tourists beginning this weekend.
According to an official who broke down the numbers for NBC News, there are 37 Secret Service officers staffed for tours. They each get paid $50 per hour for eight-hour shifts. These officers work five days a week, adding up to a savings of $74,000 per week that the tours are off.
That comes to almost $2 million before the end of this fiscal year.
The Office of Management and Budget has calculated that the Secret Service may need to cut as much as $84 million from its budget due to the sequestration cuts. Last March, the service requested a budget of $1.6 billion for fiscal year 2013.
GOP lawmakers have painted the decision to call off tours due to the sequester as a publicity stunt.
As a press conference this morning, House Speaker John Boehner again called the White House’s move “silly” and invited visitors to Washington to tour the Capitol in lieu of the president’s famous home.
"Even though our budget's been cut, like everyone else's, thanks to proper planning, we're able to avoid furloughs amongst Capitol workers, and tours are going to remain available for all Americans," he said. "I think it's disappointing that the Obama administration didn't follow our lead and find savings in other parts of their budget."
NBC's Carrie Dann contributed to this report.
