Crimson Red Sports

(http://bloximages.newyork1.vip.townnews.com/stltoday.com/content/tncms/assets/v3/editorial/a/d7/ad7985f0-f092-5965-9759-df14fdbbc960/4eb5dc8603639.image.jpg)

In this photo supplied by the Stanislaus National Forest, a 65-foot white fir tree is loaded onto a truck for its 20-day journey to Washington Saturday, Nov. 5, 2011, after the U.S. Capitol Christmas tree was cut from the Stanislaus National Forest near Sonora, Calif. The tradition of "The People's Tree" began in 1964, and the job of providing it rotates among national forests. This year, the Stanislaus National Forest was chosen to provide the tree, marking the fourth time the Capitol tree will come from California. It will be decorated by 5,000 ornaments handmade by Californians. House Speaker John Boehner will light it along with a child from California on Dec. 6. Come January, when the tree has served its purpose, it will be ground into mulch and spread across the Capitol gardens. (AP Photo/Stanislaus National Forest, Jerry Snyder)

I wonder how much this Christmas Tree cost?

Story
The so-called Christmas tree tax was put on hold less than 48 hours after being approved, and the National Christmas Tree Association is left feeling like it got a lump of coal in its stocking.

The Agriculture Department announced Tuesday that it had approved a 15-cent marketing fee to be charged on every fir and pine sold during the holiday season.

Heritage Foundation blogger David Addison quickly branded it Obama's Christmas Tree Tax, and the criticism escalated from there.

Rep. Steve Scalise, a Louisiana Republican, accused President Barack Obama of "trying to sneak through this new tax" and said the president should "stop acting like the Grinch."

By Wednesday afternoon, the Obama administration had put the marketing program on hold.