Obama signed healthcare Bill with 22 pens - India News and Travel Times Provides India-centric and other News and Features

Many presidents have embraced the idea of signing historic legislation - like the healthcare Bill - with multiple pens and US President Barack Obama was no different. He signed the healthcare Bill on Tuesday with 22 pens. According to the Christian Science Monitor (CSM), Obama used each of the 22 pens to contribute to a letter, or even just half a letter, to his signature. A full minute and 35 seconds elapsed between when the President began and finished. As he placed the last pen back in the box, the President announced, "We are done." Many modern Presidents have used multiple pens to sign major pieces of legislation. The moment they leave the President's hand, these pens become valuable political souvenirs worth hundreds of dollars. Presidents often give them out to political supporters and friends. Franklin Roosevelt was the first President to use multiple pens to sign legislation. President Truman did so as well, but it was President Lyndon Johnson who used 72 pens to sign the Civil Rights Act. Other Presidents, including Ronald Reagan, have done the same. President Bush, however, used only one pen to sign legislation. Yesterday's Bill signing was not the first time President Obama used multiple pens to sign legislation. He signed the Lily Ledbetter Fair Pay Act last year with seven pens. On Tuesday, Obama kept one pen for himself and two for the archives. The rest of the pens were given out to supporters.