Obama Center Subcontractor Shuts Down After Workers Learn Hope And Dreams Still Don’t Pay Plumbing Bills

CHICAGO — A subcontractor who completed plumbing work on the Obama Presidential Center reportedly shut down operations and laid off 25 union plumbers after unpaid bills triggered a financial chain reaction, proving once again that everything rolls downhill, and in Chicago, downhill apparently ends at the Obama Center, sources have confirmed.

The company had finished the work, sent the invoices, waited for payment, waited some more, checked the mailbox, checked the bank account, checked the meaning of “hope,” and eventually discovered none of those things covered payroll.

“This is devastating,” said one laid-off plumber.

“We installed the pipes, did the job, and now we’re out of work because somebody confused inspiration with a wire transfer.”

Sources say the unpaid bills forced layoffs, the layoffs forced other jobs to be canceled, and the canceled jobs created a ripple effect across local trades, which experts described as “trickle-down economics, but with sewage.”

The timing was especially awkward after the center’s star-studded opening, where elite guests praised union workers, applauded progress, admired the building, and somehow missed the giant red flags, including unpaid invoices and pipes backing up down the street.

One former worker reportedly stared at the glowing speeches and muttered, “Thanks, Mr. Obama. Chicago’s getting stinky, but at least the celebrities had valet.”

As of press time, the Obama Center had announced a new exhibit titled You Didn’t Build That, But You Did Install The Plumbing We Haven’t Paid For Yet.