State Dept spent more than $52K on Nikki Haley's apartment curtains (while making budget cuts)
New curtains installed last year in the official residence of Nikki Haley, President Trump's ambassador to the U.N., cost the Trump administration more than $50,000 at a time when the State Department was facing budget cuts and a hiring freeze.
The New York Times reports that the curtains, installed last year in Haley's New York residence, cost $29,000, while a motorized opener for the curtains cost another $22,801. While the installation occurred during Haley's tenure as ambassador, a spokesman told the Times that the purchase decision was made during the Obama administration in 2016.
Patrick Kennedy, a top State Department official under the Obama administration, defended the purchase to the Times, noting that Haley only has one part-time staffer at the residence.
All shes got is a part-time maid, and the ability to open and close the curtains quickly is important, Kennedy told the newspaper.
Other Obama-era officials were more critical, questioning why such a purchase was made when the agency faced budget cuts. How can you, on the one hand, tell diplomats that basic needs cannot be met and, on the other hand, spend more than $50,000 on a customized curtain system for the ambassador to the U.N.? asked Brett Bruen, an Obama White House aide.
http://thehill.com/homenews/administration/406659-state-dept-spent-more-than-52k-on-nikki-haleys-apartment-curtains