Bureau of Engraving scraps gift card incentive program

The Bureau of Engraving and Printing has scrapped plans to distribute $75 gift cards to employees who agree to return their government-owned desktop printers in favor of network printers. The agency has also suspended its efforts to retrieve the printers.

Employees learned of the suspension via e-mail Tuesday afternoon, after inquiries into the program by The Washington Post and Rep. Darrell Issa (Calif.), the top Republican on the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.

"We have suspended any activities related to the printers," agency spokeswoman Claudia Dickens said. "For now, everyone gets to keep their printer."

Dickens would not say why the agency decided to end the program or when it might again try to retrieve the printers.

More than 530 staff members, mostly senior bureau employees, have individual printers to ensure that sensitive documents -- related mostly to personnel issues -- do not end up in the wrong hands, Dickens said. The bureau hoped that the incentive program would persuade employees to help cut the agency's paper, ink and electricity costs and that the gift cards might be an incentive for employees who thought they would be inconvenienced by not having a printer at their desks.

The agency advertised the gift card program with a flier designed like an old-school-western "Wanted" poster at its offices in Washington and Fort Worth.

"For a limited time, to incentivize you to voluntarily give up your active personal printer, BEP will share the savings with you," the flier noted. "You will receive a gift card in the amount of $75 if you turn in an active personal printer."

Issa said the program "defied common sense."

"I'm thankful there are some grown-ups at the Bureau of Engraving and Printing who stepped up to cancel this outrageous expenditure after it was exposed and officials were put on notice that they would be held accountable," Issa said in a statement Wednesday. He estimated the program would have cost taxpayers $40,050.

"If you want to save the money, you don't give someone the money to get something back that belongs to the government anyway," said one employee who contacted The Post about the incentive program. The gift cards would have unfairly benefited senior officials, the employee said, because most rank-and-file workers do not have individual printers. The staff member asked for anonymity out of fear of retribution.

Employees are also concerned about plans to offer buyouts to 227 workers. The staff cuts are necessary as yearly orders for printed money have dropped by 2 billion notes in recent years, Dickens said. Demand continues to slide as Americans opt for credit cards and online bill payment options instead of cash.