Posted on 06/17/2013 8:28:29 AM PDT by Justaham
President Obama is under fire for the price of the first family’s upcoming weeklong trip to Africa, which could cost taxpayers as much as $100 million at a time of federal budget cuts and furloughs.
The Obamas’ trip will take them to Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa from June 26 to July 3. The excursion will involve military cargo planes airlifting 56 support vehicles, including 14 limousines, and three trucks to carry bulletproof glass panels to cover the windows where the family is set to stay.
One estimate of the cost has pegged the bill to U.S. taxpayers at somewhere between $60 million and $100 million.
A House lawmaker said rather than spend $100 million on a trip to Africa, the administration should instead fund public tours of the White House that were canceled under the “sequestration” budget cuts.
“For the cost of this trip to Africa, you could have 1,350 weeks of White House tours, which the White House has canceled indefinitely due to budget constraints,” Rep. George Holding, North Carolina Republican, said on the House floor Friday.
Mr. Holding said with the country more than $16 trillion in debt, the administration should not be spending so much money on an eight-day visit to Africa.
(Excerpt) Read more at washingtontimes.com ...
In the meantime White House tours are still shut down...
Barack Obama says “FUUSA!”
Maybe he’s shopping around for a retirement home.
What is the purpose of this visit? Does it have anything to do with US interests or is it just another BS vacation by these clowns?
It’s partly to get out of town while all the damaging info is coming out, partly to shore up his weakening support among blacks, and partly just to say a big FU to the US.
I actually do think he’s shopping around for a country to take over as his African base. I read that AQ is becoming more of a problem in South Africa but that since 2010 the police there have been forbidden to conduct any surveillance of suspected AQ facilities or even known members. So maybe he’s prepping for the next stage of his demonic life.
Worse than tours is the removal of hot meals for our troops in Afganistan! Our troops come first always, IMO.
The excursion will involve military cargo planes airlifting 56 support vehicles, including 14 limousines, and three trucks to carry bulletproof glass panels to cover the windows where the family is set to stay.
*****
How many friends are they taking this time? There is absolutely no reason for this trip at all except a free vacation for the EBT family. We are already paying for this fool to go to the Summit, then we have to pay for this?
There has not been a day that he hasn’t pimped onto AF1 for some useless cause. This country has been without a president for 5 years.
Does Congress have no control over these expenses? I do realize that Boner is using his knee pads 24/7.
By the way, this doesn’t include all the new “aid” programs he will probably announce, throwing huge aunts of our money away into this bottomless pit that is Africa.
It will be worth every dime, if he stays there.
I see this as arrogance of power and ‘in your face’ theft.
That would be amounts of our money - although there’s probably some pretty huge aunties there too.
Plus, think of the media coverage and photo ops as they compete to have the most footage of the first family in Africa. I can hear Diane Sawyer commenting on something about the first daughters, multiple scenes of POTUS and FLOTUS getting on and off airplanes, shaking hands... kind of like a campaign tour. There will be precious little time for the MSM to talk about the IRS, State Dept, Benghazi, etc.
The trip to Africa next week is on top of the Belfast trip this week in which FLOTUS and the daughters are tagging along as part of an entourage requiring 30 rooms at a 5 star hotel that charges $2,500/night, per room.
Obama to the masses, “Let ‘em eat cake!”
Basically a campaign trip, which is all he ever does. Gets him out of town so he has a better excuse not to answer any inconvenient questions, and re-affirms his street creds with his bros.
Plus he has a good time, and entertains some of his key donors.
Excellent point!
Obama’s shutting down WH tours describes his presidency in a microcosm. Secretive, paranoid and spiteful..
Doesn't Africa have bullet proof glass? Don't they have three trucks?
Ban guns in Africa and there will be no need for the bullet proof glass panels.
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