House drops $40K on new member pins amid government spending fight

Kadia Goba
·1 min read
287

The Scoop

The 118th Congress will be remembered for many firsts: Electing the first Black leader in the House, that 15-round speaker’s vote, and then removing that same speaker. The latest: Leadership swapped their apple-green members’ pins for deep navy ones mid-cycle at a cost of $40,000, according to one source familiar with the decision.

It’s an interesting purchase for a Congress that remains on the brink of shuttering the government in part because of a desire to cut spending.

Some congresswomen complained that the bale on the pin is smaller than in years past, making it impossible to fit on thicker chains, according to Rep. Deborah Ross, D-N.C. But overall, members seem happy with the new color choice.

When asked if members requested the change from Speaker Mike Johnson, Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C. replied, “I don’t know the answer to your question, I do know there were many congressmen who didn’t like the green pin.”