House spends $40,000 on pins for new members as Republicans fume over their spending
Midway through a congressional session already marked by extraordinary chaos and a lack of productivity, the Republican-led House of Representatives rang in the new year with a new set of identification pins for each member, costing as much as $40,000, according to an aide to the House. Congress who was aware of the purchase.
At the start of each new Congress, each member of the House of Representatives is given a round pin identifying them as a lawmaker, alerting security officials on Capitol Hill that they may enter restricted areas, including the House floor. The background color and number of the congressional session change every two years, but the design rarely changes; it bears the Great Seal of the United States, an eagle with wings outstretched, holding an olive branch in one talon and arrows in the other.
But on Wednesday, during Congress' first work week of the year, members lined up in the speaker's lobby outside the House of Representatives chamber to exchange their bright green pins for new navy blue and gold pins.
Representative Sean Casten, Democrat of Illinois, provided an explanation for the new accessories via social media.
“Today we're getting a new pin mid-semester because the @HouseGOP didn't like the color,” He wrote on social media.
A spokesperson for Chairman Mike Johnson did not immediately provide further explanation in response to a request for comment.
The purchase came as most Republicans in the House of Representatives continue to complain about what they say is excessive federal spending, with hardliners threatening to shut down the government to push for sharper cuts.
Mr. Johnson announced Friday that he would stick to the spending deal he struck with Democrats to avoid a partial shutdown next week, as right-wing lawmakers were outraged by the funding levels in the bipartisan deal and pressured him to to change gears.
Lawmakers generally seemed pleased or ambivalent about the new pins.
Representative Rudy Yakym III, Republican of Indiana, said a NOTUS reporter that the replacement was a welcome upgrade over the green one, while former Speaker Nancy Pelosi, Democrat of California, expressed confusion about why the pins were switched.
Semafor, which Previously reported the cost of the new pins, said some congresswomen had complained that the bale on the old pins was too small and would not fit thicker chains. While most members wear the accessory on their lapel, some wear it as a pendant around their neck.