US President Barack Obama on Wednesday ordered an end to government "swag" - the treasure trove of freebies including mugs and clothing doled out at government events and conferences. And in move making life a little less cushy for government workers, the president slashed away at excess smartphones, laptops and other devices and clamped down on official travel in a new federal belt-tightening blitz.
"From the day I took office, I've said we're going to comb the federal budget, line by line, to eliminate as much wasteful spending as possible," said Obama. "We can't wait for Congress to act - we can't wait for them to get our fiscal house in order and make the investments necessary to keep America great." He said he was signing an executive order "that will build on our efforts to cut waste and promote more efficient spending across the government.
"We're cutting what we don't need so that we can invest in what we do need," said Obama, who stands accused by Republicans of wasting billions of dollars in government money on social programs. The president's order gave government agencies 45 days to come up with plans to reduce combined costs to 20 percent below 2010 fiscal year levels by 2013.