White House Cuts Down Reagan-Era Tree

As President Barack Obama and congressional lawmakers struggled with how to cut spending on Thursday, White House groundskeepers were busy with their own cutting.

They took down a 50-foot elm tree planted on the grounds during the Reagan era, which had become a hazard after getting severely damaged in a storm on Sunday.

"It was not commemorative or celebratory toward any particular president at all," National Park Service rep Bill Lee told NPR.org. The tree was up to 15-years-old when it was planted during the Reagan administration, he said.

Wood from the elm will not be made into gifts, as was done with wood from a magnolia tree in 2009, Line pointed out. Instead, the elm will be mulched down and used in Washington, D.C., parks.