WH Temporarily Removes Petition Tool From Website Until Late January

The White House is seen near sunset on May 1, 2014, in Washington, from Pennsylvania Avenue. (AP Photo/Jon Elswick)
Start your day with TPM.
Sign up for the Morning Memo newsletter

WASHINGTON (AP) — The White House is temporarily removing a petition tool from its website after 11 months of silence, promising to respond to public concerns next year.

The Trump administration says the platform, used extensively by critics and less frequently by allies, will return in late January as a new site.

A White House official says the move will save taxpayers $1.3 million annually. Initially named “We the People” by the Obama administration, the site launched in 2011.

The official says all existing petitions and responses will be restored next year, when petitions that reach the required 100,000 signatures will begin receiving responses. Among the unanswered petitions that have met the threshold are calls on President Donald Trump to release his tax returns and to place his assets in a blind trust.

Latest News

Notable Replies

  1. Chances this is coming back in January: Zero.

    He gonna pull stuff so unpopular that would blow any petition system up. then there’ll be claims that existing petitions were faked so they can all be ignored.

    2018 is going to be looked at historically as THE year of constitutional crisis in America, and I’m seriously afraid it won’t survive the test.

  2. Yet the galaxy’s biggest tool still occupies the Oval Trailer…

  3. The new website will have a filter that will only certain word combinations:

    • Why + I
    • Love + Trump
    • Make/Made + America
    • Great + Again
    • Dearest/Fearless/Bravest/Strongest/Smartest/Best + Leader
    • Handsome + Man

    Additionally, all petitions must be accompanied by a valid credit card number and proof of a minimum purchase from a Trump-associated website.

    Petition away, America!

  4. promising to respond to public concerns next year.

  5. A promise from Donnie Dumblefuck isn’t worth the breath it took to make the promise.

Continue the discussion at forums.talkingpointsmemo.com

9 more replies

Participants

Avatar for system1 Avatar for mattinpa Avatar for bojimbo26 Avatar for semiotix Avatar for Lacuna-Synecdoche Avatar for borisjimbo Avatar for stradivarius50t3 Avatar for ottnott Avatar for rockgolf Avatar for dddinah Avatar for maricaibo Avatar for tiowally Avatar for dannydorko Avatar for maximus Avatar for gromilini

Continue Discussion
Masthead Masthead
Founder & Editor-in-Chief:
Executive Editor:
Managing Editor:
Deputy Editor:
Editor at Large:
General Counsel:
Publisher:
Head of Product:
Director of Technology:
Associate Publisher:
Front End Developer:
Senior Designer: