Save the Congressional Page Program

I was sixteen years old when I learned that I would have the opportunity to be a part of the Congressional Page Program. I had the opportunity to be a page for both a summer and a fall semester. The things that I learned from being in the program were not something I could’ve learned in any classroom. Whether it was attending a constituent’s breakfast with then Senator Barack Obama, or going on a field trip to the CIA, I did things most sixteen year olds only dream of. This August, I was deeply saddened to hear that Speaker Boehner and Minority Leader Pelosi had decided to put an end to the 200 year old program. I was upset not only by the fact that no other student would have the opportunity to live and work on Capitol Hill, but also by how the decision was reached.

According to House of Representatives website, boys known as “messengers” took part as early as the First Continental Congress in 1774 (http://pageprogram.house.gov). The term “page” was first used during the 20th Congress in 1827. At first only boys were allowed to be pages, however, in 1939 the daughter of a Congressman served as the first female page (http://pageprogram.house.gov). Since the beginning, the members of Congress would appoint and sponsor a page, which is still true to this day. The process by which a student is selected to be a page has changed over time. During the present time, a student fills out an application with the Congressional Representative. The application includes an essay question and minimum grade requirements. By 1925 the pages were required to attend school while participating in the program. In 1949 the Page School was established in the attic of the Jefferson Building of the Library of Congress (http://pageprogram.house.gov).
The pages have a special uniform which makes them very recognizable to all the other Congressional employees. This uniform includes gray slacks or skirts, white collared shirt, navy blazer, and a striped tie. Pages are paid for their services and live in a dorm not far away from the Capitol. The dorm has curfews to ensure the safety of the kids. The school starts around 7 in the morning with assembly and ends by noon. After school the pages head to the house floor for work. The average day of a page ends around six; however, documentarian pages might stay at work longer depending on the length of the session.
There are numerous jobs pages perform. The first job is a documentarian, which are called docs by the pages. These pages sit in a desk next to the speaker. Some of their duties include raising and lowering the flag that flows above the capitol and refilling the water glass of the clerks. The next job is a cloakroom page. Both of the parties have their own cloakroom. The cloakroom pages deliver messages to the representatives when they are on the floor. Next are the runners which simply pick up things from the office building and deliver them to the cloakroom. The other jobs are flags, door, voting, and floor. The flag pages deliver flags from the Capitol to different representatives. The door pages open the door for the speaker at the beginning of session. The voting pages take records of the day’s votes and make copies and deliver them to the cloakroom. The floor pages sit on the house floor and pick up a representatives speech when they are finished speaking.
According to Stolberg, the Speaker and Minority Leader sent out a letter to their colleagues informing them that the program would be ending this summer (www.nytimes.com). They cited technological improvements and the $5 million cost as the reasons for their decisions. Although, I understand that $5 million is a substantial amount in a hard economic time, the experience of a being page is priceless. The Page Program was the beginning of many lawmaker’s careers in politics. The other fact that really irked me is that the other representatives were not consulted, even though, this decision directly affects them. It just shows that in our political culture decisions that directly affect us are made every day without our consent
John Dingell, the longest serving House member and former page, told Stolberg, “There was no consultation by the leadership with the members” (www.nytimes.com). Some members of Congress are prepared to fight for the program they so deeply believe in. According to Newhauser, Representative Dan Boren along with Representative Dingell and Representative Henry Cueller, have introduced a piece of legislation that would reinstate the program (www.rollcall.com). The bill presents an idea for an oversight committee that would make the program more cost efficient. As Newhauser reported John Dingell said the following, “While I understand the fiscal constraints currently facing our nation, we must not forget the value this program brings to young people and the House of Representatives as a whole. Getting young people engaged in public service is certainly valuable”(www.rollcall.com). The members hope to pass the resolution and reinstate the program as fast and as efficiently as possible. In the meantime, people who wish to see the program reinstated can contact their congressional representative and urge them to support this resolution.

                                                          Works Cited
Newhauser, Daniel. "Members Fight End of Page Program : Roll Call News." Roll Call. Web. 18 Sept. 2011. .

Page Program, U.S. House of Representatives. Web. 18 Sept. 2011. .

Stolberg, Sheryl. "House Shuts Down Its Page Program." Http://www.nytimes.com/2011/08/09/us/politics/09page.html. Web. 18 Sept. 2011. .