POLITICO — President Barack Obama is asking Congress for more transparency about government Christmas decorations.
In his weekly address to the nation Monday, the president asked Congress to extend a sunset provision that would give lawmakers more time to review the decorations of federal buildings and federal buildings in the military, where military decorations are exempt from the federal disclosure rules.
The president said that the government must be transparent about decorations for the holidays and the importance of honoring the holiday season.
Aides to the president said Monday that the sunset provision is one of many provisions he will seek in his second year in office.
The sunset provision was originally included in the Defense Department’s Christmas decorations to comply with the Defense of Marriage Act, which banned same-sex marriage.
But it was extended under a 1996 law allowing Congress to set a sunset on certain federal decorations.
The House of Representatives has not passed a resolution on the issue, but a bipartisan group of House members wrote to Obama in March urging him to extend the sunset.
In a letter, the members said that they support the sunset provisions and that it is important to keep the Christmas spirit alive and healthy in our communities and in our military.