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Open the Books tells House panel federal agencies spent billions on high‑end furniture and decor
Summary
Open the Books presented agency‑level spending data showing billions on furniture since 2021 and cited examples — from embassy artwork to solar picnic tables at CDC — that drew sharp questioning from members.
John Hart, chief executive officer of Open the Books, told the DOGE subcommittee that federal furniture spending has been substantial and, in his view, often excessive.
“At Open the Books, we discovered the high cost of decorating and redecorating the administrative state,” Hart said. He testified that, since fiscal 2021, executive agencies reported more than $4,600,000,000 in furniture purchases and cited examples drawn from procurement records, including artwork at State Department embassies and expensive seating at…
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