Hey Ho! The Senate needs to go…

WASHINGTON—In an effort to reduce wasteful spending and eliminate non-vital federal services, the U.S. government announced plans this week to cut its long-standing senator program, a move it says will help save more than $300 billion each year.

According to officials, the decision to cut the national legislative body was reached during a budget review meeting on Tuesday. After hours of deliberation, it was agreed that the cost of financing U.S. senators far outweighed the benefits they provided.

"Now more than ever, we must eliminate needless spending wherever possible," President Obama said at a press conference Wednesday. "When we sat down to go over our annual budget, we asked ourselves, where can we safely trim back? What programs can we do away with without negatively impacting the American people? Which bloated and ineffective institutions can we no longer justify having around?"

"The answer was obvious," Obama added. "The U.S. Senate just needed to go."

The Senate

Obama leaves with Maine apparel, gifts for the family

The Obama family was outfitted with some signature Maine items following Thursday's presidential visit.

Gov. John Baldacci presented several gifts to the president during a brief meeting before Obama spoke in Portland, according to Joy Leach, a Baldacci spokeswoman.

There were L.L. Bean boots for the president and Michelle Obama, and Bean backpacks for their daughters Malia and Sasha, Leach said.

Other gifts included a University of Maine jersey (labeled No. 1, of course) and a 24.7 carat cut-and-polished piece of tourmaline, which is the state gemstone. This particular stone, a blue tourmaline, was discovered on Presidents Day this year, according to the Newry-Dunton Tourmaline Mining LLC, which presented it to the governor Wednesday.

The governor last saw President Obama in February during a Washington visit, Leach said.

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