{"id":61668,"date":"2016-12-29T16:25:54","date_gmt":"2016-12-29T20:25:54","guid":{"rendered":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=61668"},"modified":"2016-12-29T16:26:40","modified_gmt":"2016-12-29T20:26:40","slug":"report-8-years-of-obama-vacations-cost-85-million","status":"publish","type":"post","link":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/?p=61668","title":{"rendered":"Report: 8 years of Obama vacations cost $85 million"},"content":{"rendered":"<p><!--more--><\/p>\n<style>.mcclatchy-embed{position:relative;padding:40px 0 56.25%;height:0;overflow:hidden;max-width:100%}.mcclatchy-embed iframe{position:absolute;top:0;left:0;width:100%;height:100%}<\/style>\n<div class=\"mcclatchy-embed\"><iframe loading=\"lazy\" src=\"http:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/news\/politics-government\/white-house\/article86181742.html\/video-embed\" width=\"640\" height=\"400\" frameborder=\"0\" allowfullscreen=\"allowfullscreen\"><\/iframe><\/div>\n<p><span class=\"ng_byline_name\"><br \/>\nBy Anita Kumar \u00a0| \u00a0<\/span>WASHINGTON<br \/>\nMcClatchy DC<\/p>\n<div class=\"dateline-storybody\">\n<div id=\"story-target\" class=\"clearfix\">\n<div id=\"content-body-23894221-123335079\">\n<p>As America\u2019s first family enjoys its eighth and final vacation in Hawaii, new estimates put the price tag of the Obamas\u2019 annual trip at <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.judicialwatch.org\/press-room\/press-releases\/judicial-watch-obama-family-2015-honolulu-christmas-vacation-cost-taxpayers-3590313-in-flight-expenses-alone\/\" target=\"_blank\">$3.5 million<\/a> or more.<\/p>\n<p>In total, the cost of the the first family\u2019s personal or largely personal travel during the last eight years comes to $85 million \u2013 though that is likely to climb to $90 million after additional records are released, according to the conservative group <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.judicialwatch.org\/\" target=\"_blank\">Judicial Watch<\/a> based on <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.judicialwatch.org\/document-archive\/obama-travel-secret-service-2015\/\" target=\"_blank\">federal government records<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>The cost of <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/news\/politics-government\/white-house\/article119127118.html\" target=\"_blank\">Air Force One<\/a> and other government planes as well as helicopters, cargo planes, armored cars, Secret Service protection and advance, communications and medical staff has led Judicial Watch to push for less personal travel.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cThe Secret Service and the Air Force are being abused by unnecessary travel,\u201d Judicial Watch president Tom Fitton said. \u201cUnnecessary presidential travel for fundraising and luxury vacations on the taxpayers\u2019 dime would be a good target for reform for the incoming Trump administration.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>President-elect Donald Trump prefers to vacation at his own properties. He is spending Christmas at <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.maralagoclub.com\/\" target=\"_blank\">Mar-A-Lago<\/a> resort in Palm Beach, Florida, where he stayed for Thanksgiving. After the <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/news\/politics-government\/election\/article113595038.html\" target=\"_blank\">election<\/a>, he spent a weekend at <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nj.com\/politics\/index.ssf\/2016\/11\/7_things_to_know_about_donald_trumps_bedminster_go.html\" target=\"_blank\">Bedminster golf club<\/a> in New Jersey, which has fueled speculation that it could be <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nj.com\/news\/index.ssf\/2016\/11\/could_trumps_bedminster_golf_club_become_his_camp.html\" target=\"_blank\">Trump\u2019s Camp David<\/a>.<\/p>\n<div id=\"highline-quote-1\" class=\"highline highline-quote\">\n<p>Hawaii is a special place for the president and one of his favorite places to visit. The first family enjoys vacationing in Hawaii for the same reasons many others do, including scenic views, beautiful beaches, a relaxed pace, and great restaurants. <span class=\"ng_highline_attrib\">White House spokesman Eric Schultz <\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Critics of Obama\u2019s annual vacations to Hawaii and Martha\u2019s Vineyard say President George W. Bush \u2013 and perhaps Trump \u2013 likely saved money because their vacation homes, including Bush\u2019s ranch in Crawford, Texas, were modified one time \u2013 some at a cost to taxpayers \u2013 and accommodated some of the traveling entourage. At Bush\u2019s ranch, some slept in <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nytimes.com\/2003\/12\/01\/us\/white-house-letter-a-trusted-aide-relishes-trailer-park-life-in-texas.html\" target=\"_blank\">trailers.<\/a><\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-media inline-video\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-media inline-video\">\n<div class=\"teaser \">\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<div id=\"container-123233859\" class=\"container-123233859\">\n<div id=\"video-detail-123233859-1483024060172\" class=\"media-wrap\">\n<div class=\"video-media\" data-id=\"123233859\" data-index=\"\">\n<div class=\"mi-video-utilty-bar share-icons \"><a class=\"facebook-share mi-video-utility-item\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mcclatchydc.com%2Fnews%2Fnation-world%2Farticle123233859.html\"> <span class=\"utility-text\">facebook<\/span> <\/a> <a class=\"twitter-share mi-video-utility-item\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mcclatchydc.com%2Fnews%2Fnation-world%2Farticle123233859.html&amp;text=Japan%27s%20prime%20minister%20visits%20Pearl%20Harbor%20with%20President%20Obama\"> <span class=\"utility-text\">twitter<\/span> <\/a> <a class=\"email-share mi-video-utility-item\" title=\"Share by Email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=Japan%27s%20prime%20minister%20visits%20Pearl%20Harbor%20with%20President%20Obama&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.mcclatchydc.com%2Fnews%2Fnation-world%2Farticle123233859.html\"> <span class=\"utility-text\">email<\/span> <\/a> <a class=\"mi-video-share-btn mi-video-utility-item\" title=\"Share\"> <span class=\"utility-text\">Share<\/span> <\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-media-details\">\n<h4 class=\"title \"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/news\/nation-world\/article123233859.html\"> Japan&#8217;s prime minister visits Pearl Harbor with President Obama <\/a><\/h4>\n<p class=\"leadtext \">On Tuesday Japanese Prime Minister Shinz\u014d Abe visited Pearl Harbor with President Obama 75 years after Japan&#8217;s attack on the site. Abe is the fourth Japanese prime minister to visit Pearl Harbor since the surprise attack in 1941, which brought the U.S. in<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"credits\">Alexa Ard \/ McClatchy<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>Published reports say the Trumps\u2019 Thanksgiving trip to Florida wound up costing <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nbcnews.com\/news\/us-news\/cost-protecting-jet-setting-president-elect-trump-yuge-n687336\" target=\"_blank\">$7 million<\/a>. Congress recently appropriated $7 million to reimburse state and local law enforcement agencies for overtime costs associated with protecting Trump before his inauguration. Palm Beach County says the county spent $250,000 for security support for Trump during his four-day visit over Thanksgiving.<\/p>\n<p>The White House defended Obama\u2019s trip to Hawaii, which is where the president was born and spent much of his childhood.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cDespite the security apparatus that accompanies any president when traveling, the administration works with the United States Secret Service to minimize the disruptions to local residents and businesses,\u201d White House spokesman Eric Schultz said. \u201cHonolulu is a place where the president can enjoy some downtime with his family and friends and he\u2019s grateful for the warm hospitality he enjoys when there.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>Obama has taken less vacation time than his Republican predecessor.<\/p>\n<p>He\u2019s taken 28 vacations spanning all or part of 217 days, according to <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/markknoller\" target=\"_blank\">Mark Knoller<\/a>, a CBS News White House correspondent who maintains an authoritative record of presidential activities. Those numbers do not include the latest Hawaii trip, which began Friday and is expected to end Jan. 2.<\/p>\n<div class=\"embed-media inline-video\"><\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-media inline-video\">\n<div class=\"teaser \">\n<div class=\"media-body\">\n<div id=\"container-67715397\" class=\"container-67715397\">\n<div id=\"video-detail-67715397-1483024061578\" class=\"media-wrap\">\n<div class=\"video-media\" data-id=\"67715397\" data-index=\"\">\n<div class=\"mi-video-utilty-bar share-icons \"><a class=\"facebook-share mi-video-utility-item\" title=\"Share on Facebook\" href=\"http:\/\/www.facebook.com\/sharer\/sharer.php?u=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bradenton.com%2Fnews%2Fnation-world%2Farticle67715397.html\"> <span class=\"utility-text\">facebook<\/span> <\/a> <a class=\"twitter-share mi-video-utility-item\" title=\"Share on Twitter\" href=\"http:\/\/twitter.com\/intent\/tweet?url=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bradenton.com%2Fnews%2Fnation-world%2Farticle67715397.html&amp;text=Obama%2C%20Castro%20attend%20historic%20baseball%20game%20together%20in%20Havana\"> <span class=\"utility-text\">twitter<\/span> <\/a> <a class=\"email-share mi-video-utility-item\" title=\"Share by Email\" href=\"mailto:?subject=Obama%2C%20Castro%20attend%20historic%20baseball%20game%20together%20in%20Havana&amp;body=http%3A%2F%2Fwww.bradenton.com%2Fnews%2Fnation-world%2Farticle67715397.html\"> <span class=\"utility-text\">email<\/span> <\/a> <a class=\"mi-video-share-btn mi-video-utility-item\" title=\"Share\"> <span class=\"utility-text\">Share<\/span> <\/a><\/div>\n<div class=\"clearfix\"><\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<div class=\"embed-media-details\">\n<h4 class=\"title \"><a href=\"http:\/\/www.bradenton.com\/news\/nation-world\/article67715397.html\"> Obama, Castro attend historic baseball game together in Havana <\/a><\/h4>\n<p class=\"leadtext \">President Barack Obama and the First Family join Cuban President Raul Castro at Havana&#8217;s Estadio Latinoamericano for an exhibition baseball game between the Tampa Bay Rays and the Cuban national team.<\/p>\n<p><span class=\"photographer\"> Brittany Peterson<\/span> <span class=\"credits\">McClatchy<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<\/div>\n<p>By comparison, President George W. Bush made 77 visits to his Texas ranch spanning all or part of 490 days, and 11 visits to his family\u2019s home in Kennebunkport, Maine, spanning all or part of 43 days, according to Knoller.<\/p>\n<p>\u201cLike every other human being, presidents need time to refresh or replenish,\u201d said <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/dubersteingroup.com\/principals\/kenneth-m-duberstein\/\" target=\"_blank\">Ken Duberstein<\/a>, who served as President Ronald Reagan\u2019s chief of staff in his second term.<\/p>\n<p>Yet criticism of presidential vacations is not new and may have started with John Adams, who frequently traveled from the capital to his <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.nps.gov\/adam\/index.htm\" target=\"_blank\">Massachusetts home.<\/a><\/p>\n<p>Even if they do get away, a president\u2019s staff and equipment follows them, as do problems. Some presidents have had to cancel or interrupt their vacations.<\/p>\n<div id=\"highline-quote-2\" class=\"highline highline-quote\">\n<p>The president is never on vacation and the White House travels wherever the president is whether Hawaii or Martha\u2019s Vineyard or Crawford, Texas, or Kennebunkport. They don\u2019t have an opportunity to take time off. <span class=\"ng_highline_attrib\">Ken Duberstein, Ronald Reagan\u2019s chief of staff in his second term<\/span><\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>\u201cA president is never truly on vacation,\u201d said <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.usna.edu\/PoliSci\/facultybio\/doherty.php\" target=\"_blank\">Brendan J. Doherty<\/a>, a political science professor at the U.S. Naval Academy who tracks presidential trips. \u201cA president might get a change of venue but a president is never truly off the job.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>President Dwight Eisenhower returned to the White House from Newport, Rhode Island, to dispatch federal troops to Arkansas after nine black students were stopped from entering Central High School in Little Rock. But President George W. Bush was chastised for waiting three days before ending his month-long vacation after Hurricane Katrina hit the Gulf Coast in 2005.<\/p>\n<p>Obama has seen many crises \u2013 the <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.youtube.com\/watch?v=k6urJsX3KX4\" target=\"_blank\">BP oil spill<\/a>, the beheading of an American journalist, riots in Ferguson, Missouri, an attempt to blow up an airliner \u2013 mar his vacations. In 2014, the media even questioned if the president had a <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/abcnews.go.com\/blogs\/politics\/2014\/08\/are-president-obamas-vacations-cursed\/\" target=\"_blank\">vacation curse<\/a>.<\/p>\n<p>Judicial Watch recently received records revealing that Secret Service expenses for the first family\u2019s 2015 Hawaiian vacation cost taxpayers $1.2 million, bringing the <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.judicialwatch.org\/press-room\/press-releases\/judicial-watch-obama-family-2015-honolulu-christmas-vacation-cost-taxpayers-3590313-in-flight-expenses-alone\/\" target=\"_blank\">total cost<\/a> of the vacation trip to at least $4.8 million.<\/p>\n<div id=\"highline-number-1\" class=\"highline highline-number\">\n<p><span class=\"ng_number_leadin\">$180,118<\/span> Cost per hour of flying Air Force One<\/p>\n<\/div>\n<p>Secret Service costs included $1 million for lodging, $166,000 on 103 car rentals and $68,000 for air and rail expenses. In response to another recent <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.judicialwatch.org\/press-room\/press-releases\/judicial-watch-obtains-records-revealing-obamas-february-march-2015-golf-vacations-and-fundraisers-cost-taxpayers-4436245-50-in-travel-expenses-alone\/\" target=\"_blank\">public records request<\/a> about the 2015 trip, the Air Force revealed that it costs $180,118 per hour to fly and operate the president\u2019s plane, Air Force One.<\/p>\n<p>Judicial Watch has been trying to calculate the price tag of <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/news\/politics-government\/white-house\/article50172810.html\" target=\"_blank\">Obama personal trips<\/a> for years through public records requests. It recently received records on Obama\u2019s trips to New York City, Chicago, Los Angeles and Palm City, Florida, in 2014 and 2015 in which he raised money, campaigned and golfed. The group says the cost was $286,000 solely for Secret Service travel and accommodations.<\/p>\n<p>Some trips included the entire family, while others included one other member. Most trips of the first lady and daughters are not publicized and remain unknown. But Judicial Watch has received some records about some of those trips, including the family\u2019s trip to New York and first lady Michelle Obama\u2019s ski trip to Aspen, Colorado, as well as several of Barack Obama\u2019s golf outings.<\/p>\n<p>The first family pays for housing when they are on vacation. Published reports indicate that the Obamas stayed last year at the <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/They%20have%20received%20records%20about%20trips%20Obama%20and%20his%20daughters%20to%20New%20York,%20including%20a%20Broadway%20show%20and%20a%20private%20museum%20tour,%20first%20lady%20Michelle%20Obama%E2%80%99s%20ski%20trip%20to%20Aspen,%20Colorado,%20and%20golf%20trips.\" target=\"_blank\">Hale Reena Estate<\/a> in Hawaii, which \u201crents for anywhere between $5,000 to $10,000 a night, depending on the season.\u201d<\/p>\n<p>In general, the White House disputes the travel numbers, saying that often the trips include both <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/news\/politics-government\/white-house\/article55465890.html\" target=\"_blank\">work and personal<\/a> activities. Even this year\u2019s Hawaii vacation includes work.<\/p>\n<p>Obama and Japanese Prime Minister Shinzo Abe visited Pearl Harbor Tuesday, 75 years after Japan\u2019s attack on Hawaii. The trip came after Obama made an unprecedented journey with Abe in May with to <a title=\"\" href=\"http:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/news\/politics-government\/white-house\/article80251602.html\" target=\"_blank\">Hiroshima, Japan, <\/a>where the United States dropped the world\u2019s first atomic bomb.<\/p>\n<div class=\"ng_endnote_contact\">\n<p>Anita Kumar<\/p>\n<p>___<br \/>\n<a href=\"http:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/news\/politics-government\/white-house\/article123335079.html\">http:\/\/www.mcclatchydc.com\/news\/politics-government\/white-house\/article123335079.html<\/a><\/p>\n<\/div>\n","protected":false},"excerpt":{"rendered":"","protected":false},"author":1,"featured_media":0,"comment_status":"closed","ping_status":"open","sticky":false,"template":"","format":"standard","meta":{"footnotes":""},"categories":[1],"tags":[],"class_list":["post-61668","post","type-post","status-publish","format-standard","hentry","category-uncategorized"],"_links":{"self":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61668","targetHints":{"allow":["GET"]}}],"collection":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts"}],"about":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/types\/post"}],"author":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/users\/1"}],"replies":[{"embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcomments&post=61668"}],"version-history":[{"count":0,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=\/wp\/v2\/posts\/61668\/revisions"}],"wp:attachment":[{"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fmedia&parent=61668"}],"wp:term":[{"taxonomy":"category","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Fcategories&post=61668"},{"taxonomy":"post_tag","embeddable":true,"href":"https:\/\/stateofthenation2012.com\/index.php?rest_route=%2Fwp%2Fv2%2Ftags&post=61668"}],"curies":[{"name":"wp","href":"https:\/\/api.w.org\/{rel}","templated":true}]}}