ABC News, President Barack Obama to Order Ban on Swag; Cutbacks on Travel, Cellphones, Computers:

President Barack Obama is coming out against swag. That’s swag, as in the coffee mugs, pens, T-shirts and other public relations articles that federal government agencies purchase with taxpayer money to promote their work. The swag ban is part of an executive order the president will sign on Wednesday to cut waste and make government more efficient. ….

Besides putting an end to the promotional gear, the new order directs agencies to reduce travel spending, cut back on cellphones and laptops issued to employees, cut down the size of the executive vehicle fleet and post documents online instead of printing them — measures that individually would hardly merit a White House news release. The administration’s goal is to cut spending by 20 percent in areas covered by the executive order….

Among examples cited by the White House of cost-cutting already under way are the IRS’s plan to cut 27% of its travel costs by relying more on teleconferences and webinars.

(Hat Tip: Francine Lipman.)