Posted on 10/17/2015 6:53:10 AM PDT by Kaslin
It must be nice being Barack Obama. He gets to travel the world on the taxpayer’s dime and never worry about the cost. Thanks to Judicial Watch, the American people now know how much it costs to travel like a political rock star. Due to a Freedom of Information Act (FOIA) request by Judicial Watch, the U.S. Department of the Air Force reluctantly released records that show the travel costs for President Obama in February and March of this year exceeded $4.4 million.
Throughout these months, the President enjoyed golf trips and participated in Democratic Party fundraisers. The President traveled to these destinations on Air Force One, an aircraft that costs taxpayers $206,337 per hour of use. Thus, it cost over $1 million for the President to attend a golf outing in Palm Springs, California. During his junket, he also enjoyed an extended stay at the Sunny lands resort, owned by the mega rich Annenberg family.
In February and March, the President also traveled to Chicago, Los Angeles and Palm City for political campaigning and fundraisers. The travel costs of all of these trips were covered by the taxpayers.
In Chicago, the President made a campaign appearance for his former Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel, who was running for re-election as Mayor. In Los Angeles, he attended Democratic Party fundraisers and appeared on the Jimmy Kimmel comedy show. In Palm City, the President enjoyed golf at the Floridian National Golf Club, a “spectacular” resort on the St. Lucie River.
With an annual budget deficit of $438 billion and a national debt that exceeds $18.4 trillion, such expensive travel costs are outrageous. Obviously, the President is not concerned about appearances for he has been a world class traveler since taking office in 2009.
If these two months are typical of his tenure in office, it would mean that the President’s travel costs alone will exceed $200 million after his eight years in office.
These expenses are just the tip of the iceberg for they do not include the security and lodging costs of his entourage, including the secret service detail. At this time, Judicial Watch is still waiting for the Secret Service to provide this information, as required by the FOIA request.
Obviously, every President should be able to take vacations, but Barack Obama is different. Whereas Presidents Reagan, G.H.W. Bush and George W. Bush spent most of their vacation time at family ranches or homes, this President prefers to spend his time at expensive resort destinations such as Martha’s Vineyard. The resulting cost to taxpayers is quite significant.
In addition, the Obama family often travels separately, increasing the costs that taxpayers will have to cover. Over the past seven years, Michelle Obama has also traveled the world and in a solo trip to China, the travel costs for taxpayers exceeded $360.000.
According to Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton, “Taxpayers should be outraged that Barack Obama’s wastes $4.4 million of their precious tax dollars on golf vacations and political fundraising…and to make matters worse, the Secret Service has simply refused to respond to our requests for documents about the security costs of these controversial trips. The Obama travel scandal is about abuse of office, abuse of the taxpayer, and contempt for the rule of law.”
Thank goodness that Judicial Watch is doing the job that the liberal media refuses to do. Taxpayers have a right to know how much of their money is being spent to send the First Family to golf resorts, Democratic Party fundraisers and exotic vacations. The only benefit is that at least the American people can live vicariously through Barack and Michelle Obama as they enjoy champagne wishes and caviar dreams.
America’s ruling class elite royalty.
Judicial Watch writeup:
Obama Jet Setting Racks Up Nearly $70 Million Tab for Taxpayers
As Senator Everett Dirksen once said: “A million here, a million there, pretty soon, you’re talking real money.” Everyone knows that golf is an expensive sport, but when two golf outings alone cost $1,836,555 in travel expenses alone, that’s a bit much. If it’s your own money, that’s one thing, but who other than President Obama would spend someone else’s millions that way? And by “someone,” I mean you and other taxpayers already oppressed by confiscatory federal taxes.
When Obama went on a series of costly fundraising and entertainment trips this spring, the total bill paid by American taxpayers was close to $4.5 million dollars in travel expenses! We still do not know many of the other costs involved in these trips. For one, it is unknown what the elaborate security required to cover presidential travel cost taxpayers because the Secret Service has not provided the requested information, as required by the Freedom of Information Act (FOIA), regarding its security expenses.
This week, Judicial Watch released records obtained from the U.S. Department of the Air Force revealing that Barack Obama’s spring fling travel for golf vacations and fundraisers totaled $4,436,245.50 in taxpayer-funded transportation expenses.
Using the Air Force’s official cost estimate of $206,337 per hour, the newly released records obtained by Judicial Watch show:
Obama’s February 14, 2015, golf outing to Palm Springs required a five-hour flight, costing taxpayers a total of $1,031,685.
Obama’s March 28, 2015, golf outing to Palm City required a 3.9-hour flight, costing taxpayers $804,870.30.
The Washington Examiner noted that the golf outings cost almost $20,000 per hole. These trips were not to the local pitch and putt. They were elaborate trips to premier golf courses. In Palm Springs, Obama played golf at the luxurious Sunnylands country club, located on the former estate of the late ambassadors Walter and Leonore Annenberg. Obama reportedly spent the weekend on the exclusive, gated property, where he has twice stayed before.
In Palm City, Obama played golf at the “spectacular” Floridian National Golf Club, where members pay a $50,000 initiation fee and $15,000 in annual dues. According to the resort’s website: “This stunning, yet formidable par 71 will certainly impress. At 7,114 yards, the 18-hole course offers perfectly manicured rolling fairways and greens, demanding hazards, breathtaking views of the St. Lucie River, and is surrounded by a natural preserve and native wildlife.”
And then there were the fundraisers.
Taxpayers, regardless of party affiliation, ponied up over $2.5 million to jet Obama around the country in an effort to – of all things – raise money!
The White House attempted to paint Obama’s jaunt to Chicago as a non-political event to declare the Pullman Historic District a national monument. Members of the press on the scene, who usually grant Obama the benefit of the doubt, reported that the trip was heavily political in nature. As reported by CNN, “Obama gives Emanuel re-election boost:”
President Barack Obama went to Chicago bearing gifts Thursday for his former chief of staff, Mayor Rahm Emanuel … But the day had all the trappings of a campaign – and Obama even made an unannounced stop at a Kenwood campaign office for Emanuel on his way out of town. “I’m glad he’s my mayor, and I’m glad he’s going to be my mayor for another four years,” Obama told volunteers.
There is no getting around that fact that Obama’s travel to California was solely to raise money for the Democratic National Committee. In a show of solidarity nationwide for fellow Democrats, Obama began his visit to Los Angeles with an appearance on ABC’s late night comedy program “Jimmy Kimmel Live,” and followed that up later with a “roundtable discussion” fundraiser hosted at the Santa Monica home of ICM Partners cofounder Chris Silbermann and his wife Julia Franz. Guests paid up to $33,400 per couple for attendance, donations that are being used to aid DNC political activities. As noted by the LA Times: “In 2015 the DNC is focused on investing resources in opposition research and press, the voter file and analytics infrastructure, voter protection, and building our state networks.” Obama’s March 12 fundraising trip to Los Angeles was his 32nd fundraiser in L.A. County since he became president.
Once again, using the Air Force’s own estimated hourly rate of $206,337:
Transportation for Obama’s February 19 day trip to Chicago cost taxpayers $619,011.00.
Transportation for Obama’s March 2015 fundraising trip to Los Angeles cost taxpayers $1,980,835.20.
The American people are justifiably outraged that Barack Obama’s has wasted over $4.4 million of their precious tax dollars on golf vacations and political fundraising. And to make matters worse, the Secret Service has simply refused to respond to our requests for documents about the security costs of these controversial trips. The Obama travel scandal is about abuse of office, abuse of the taxpayer, and contempt for the rule of law.
Records released earlier this year by Judicial Watch showed that Michelle Obama’s 2014 trip to China cost more than $360,000 in air transportation costs. Judicial Watch uncovered an expensive combination of trips by the Obamas to Africa and Honolulu, which cost taxpayers $15,885,585.30 in flight expenses. The single largest prior known expense for accommodations was for Michelle Obama’s side-trip to Dublin, Ireland, during the 2013 G-8 conference in Belfast, when she and her entourage booked 30 rooms at the five-star Shelbourne Hotel, with the first lady staying in the 1500 square-foot Princess Grace suite at a cost of $3,500 a night. The total cost to taxpayers for the Obamas’ Ireland trip was $7,921,638.66.
To date, the known travel expenses of the Obamas and Vice President Joe Biden: $69,944,325.75! And counting…
Link (more than one write-up @ the link - check it out): http://www.judicialwatch.org/press-room/weekly-updates/clinton-approved-illegal-government-job/#anc2
“Democratic Party”
What’s that?
You mean there's still some question about that??
Congress has control of the ‘purse’....the Obama’s nouveau riche/let the eat cake, attitude is no excuse to fleece the treasury as they seem to be doing. Congress should ground AF1, keeping potus from going further into the $$$ hole he has created....security for this rogue president and his family probably costs as much an hour as it does to fly AF1 per hour.
If the numbers being mentioned are not shown against what previous President’s spent on Travel, this kind of Article looks like nothing more than Sour Grapes IMHO.
Disclaimer: I wouldn’t piss on Obama if he was on fire.
Yes but we’re in a new age now. Carbon emissions are going to cause massive destruction and displacement, if not end life on earth. Obama has told us that many times. So it it up to him to lead by example. He can do fundraising by teleconference and golf at his local course. Anything else is hypocritical.
That arrogant, lazy pos of 1600 Pennsylvania Ave doesn't even know the meaning of work.
I thoroughly appreciate the work that Judicial Watch does but I want to see actual reimbursement from the obozos to the U. S. Treasury for their PERSONAL SHARE of these trips...Let’s see an actual cancelled (cleared) check from their personal bank account.
Certainly the vacations and fund raising trips should not be paid for by the taxpayer. I don’t care if someone found a reason to call Mrs. obozo’s trip to China a legitimate taxpayer paid trip. It should not come out of our pocket. Not to mention the expenses of all the tag-a-longs she takes on her trips....
What share does legitimately belong to the taxpayer on these trips? Perhaps visiting natural disaster sites and that’s all I can come up with right now.
Even if all Obama did was pile our tax money up in a huge heap in the middle of Pennsylvania Avenue and burn it, black voters would applaud him.
"Social justice".
Yeah, all those “vacations” the Left accused Bush of taking were at his Ranch, the West Texas White House. They were working Vacations, and Bush had his entire Staff with him.
The same went for Nixon’s place in San Clemente and Reagan’s Ranch in Central California. Both were referred to as the Western White House while they were in Office because they did the same work as if they were in D.C.
Doesn’t matter though, the narrative that Bush spent his entire Presidency Vacationing and Waging “unnecessary” Wars will still be the narrative 100 Years from now.
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