Obama: Too Many Phones, Laptops and Tee-Shirts While Congress struggles to agree on budget cuts in the trillions of dollars, President Obama is sweating the small stuff: excess mobile phones, use of government vehicles, travel, and tee-shirts and other “swag” bearing agency logos. The president’s Nov. 9 executive order mandates a 20% cut in such spending, which totals millions of dollars but not billions. Obama said the order is part of his Campaign to Cut Waste. The White House said agencies must limit the number of devices such as cell phones, smart phones, laptops and tablet computers that are issued to employees. The Commerce Department, for example, found it was paying for 2,648 mobile phone accounts that had not been used in three months, including some issued to retirees and former employees. Agencies are also encouraged to buy IT devices through strategic sourcing programs. New restrictions on travel will encourage teleconferencing or videoconferencing. Agency-sponsored conferences will be held in federal buildings whenever possible. To reduce printing costs, agencies must “presume that information should be provided in an electronic form.” They are also encouraged to use strategic sourcing, such as GSA’s new blanket purchase agreements, when buying printers and copiers. Agencies are instructed to limit government-provided transportation for officials. The White House said the government spends $9 million a year on executive transportation in the Washington area alone. The Commerce Department has cut back to a single driver to serve all its top executives. The prohibition on “swag” drew the most publicity, but accounts for perhaps the least spending, the executive order directs agencies to limit the purchase of promotional items such as caps, tee-shirts, mugs and plaques. The White House said that is a waste of money. President Obama directed agencies to reduce spending in those categories by at least 20% below 2010 levels in the 2013 budget.