Former Congressional Pages Talk About The End Of The Program

SACRAMENTO (CBS13) -- The congressional page program shaped the lives of countless leaders from Bill Gates to various lawmakers in Washington D.C. It's being shut down after nearly 200 years.

A number of successful Californians also got their start as congressional pages. Many of them are now working in politics.

"My life wouldn't be where it is without that program," said former congressional page Robbie Abalon.

Abalon says serving as a page completely changed his life, transforming from an unsure high school student to a determined district director for a state assemblyman.

"My world view was very small. But after that program, I saw that a lot of things matter," he said.

"It taught me an infinite amount about politics," said former congressional page KC Souza.

Souza also pursued politics after her service on the hill, and like Abalon, she's crushed that it's all coming to an end after nearly 200 years.

"It's just a part of the capitol. You always see the kids in the blue blazers walking around. And I can't imagine walking around without seeing them," said Souza.

Since 1827, congressional pages have assisted lawmakers by delivering packages and messages. The praised program known for its competitive application process has also made some unflattering headlines, including the scandal involving Representative Mark Foley, accused of sending sexual messages to young men who had been pages.

"Online predators have a sickening impact on our children," said Foley.

But in the end it wasn't a scandal or concerns about the safety of the teens that ended the program. It was the budget.

At a cost of $5 million plus each year, congressional leaders cut the program, stating:

"This decision was not easy, but it is necessary due to the prohibitive cost of the program and advances in technology that have rendered most page-provided services no longer essential to the smooth functioning of the house."

Pages we talked to had hoped congressional leaders would have scaled back on the program instead of chopping it, especially since the senate will continue its program.

Many of these former pages do keep in touch. They're now having conversations to see if there's any way to bring back the program with donations from alumni.

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