Elected officials would be prohibited from using taxpayer dollars to pay for self portraits under legislation reintroduced by U.S. Sens. Bill Cassidy (R-LA), Deb Fischer (R-NE) and Ron Johnson (R-WI).
The Eliminating Government-Funded Oil Painting (EGO) Act would prohibit the use of taxpayer dollars on oil paintings of the president, vice president, cabinet members and members of Congress that can cost as much as $40,000.
“When America is trillions of dollars in debt, we should take every reasonable measure to reduce the burden passed on to our children and grandchildren,” Cassidy said. “Tax dollars should go to building roads and improving schools — not oil paintings that very few people ever see or care about. Congress has passed the EGO Act before, let’s pass it again.”
The House Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee approved an earlier version of the bill in the 114th Congress.
“The EGO Act would save taxpayer dollars by cutting frivolous spending on lavish portraits of government officials,” Fischer said. “Congress has a responsibility to conduct proper oversight and root out all forms of government waste. It’s pretty simple: if you want a portrait, pay for it yourself.”
Banning government officials from using taxpayer dollars on self portraits is “a no brainer,” Johnson said, and “a great step toward draining the Washington swamp.”
“I look forward to continuing to use the Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs Committee to eliminate government waste wherever possible,” Johnson concluded.