President Obama will return to Washington from Hawaii Thursday while First Lady Michelle Obama and her daughters plan to continue their vacation, adding at least $100,000 and probably more than $200,000 to taxpayer costs for the excursion.
Instead of accompanying her husband home on Air Force One, Mrs. Obama will fly on her own Air Force jet at a later date and require security and staff to remain in place in Hawaii for the length of her stay, which reportedly could extend until January 6.
The White House does not reveal the price tag for the Obamas’ vacations. But an estimate can be made given several known and likely expenses.
Assuming Mrs. Obama uses the type of plane she has flown before to Hawaii, the Air Force C-40B Special Mission Aircraft, the cost of a flight from Honolulu to Washington would be about $63,000. If the C-40B must be flown out to Hawaii to retrieve Mrs. Obama, as would seem likely, the first lady’s travel costs could amount to about $126,000, assuming the jet is dispatched from Washington.
And the cost would be much higher still if a supply-carrying cargo jet comes home along with Michelle in addition to the cargo jet that accompanies Air Force One – particularly if that jet too must be flown out to Hawaii just for Mrs. Obama.
Once you throw in the tens of thousands of dollars that must be dished out to house, pay, and support the military and Secret Service assets enlisted to protect Mrs. Obama – as well as other support staff – the price tag for her stay is probably in excess of $200,000, and possibly much more, depending on how long she remains on vacation.
Mrs. Obama flew to Hawaii separately from the president in 2010 and 2011, in those cases leaving early with the family while he finished work with Congress and then joined them for the remainder of the vacation.
If Obama strikes an early deal on the fiscal cliff and then returns to Hawaii to finish up his vacation, the tab for taxpayers would be extraordinary. Air Force One costs about $180,000 an hour to fly, and the roundtrip taxpayer-funded ticket for the nine-hour flight would amount to about $3.24 million.
Obama plans to fly out of Hawaii Wednesday night at about 10:00 pm local time, which would get him to the White House at around 12:30 pm ET on Thursday.
462 thoughts on “Michelle to Remain in Hawaii, Costing Taxpayers Over $100K”
Keith, thank you for pointing all this humbug out. Obummer returning to DC is, as a few here have mentioned, nothing more than a show. More ‘TV face time’ for our Celeb in Chief.
He will be writing the ‘script’ on the flight back, get it loaded into the teleprompter and be ready to start barfing it out even before he lands.
I bet that within the first two sentences out of his mouth be blames the Republicans for the failure to get a ‘deal’ done.
Congress needs to limit expenses a president can incur for vacations. Michelle’s is obviously not smart enought to figure out that this country is broke.
They really don’t believe the country is broke as long as the printing presses at the mint still work. $6 trillion in new money in just the first four years (plus untold trillions handed out to European banks).
Oh they know that the country is broke, it just ain’t broke ENOUGH yet.
They need to pay for their own vacations like everyone else does, they do not pay for ours. so sick of this man I really am. USE YOUR OWN MONEY NOT OURS!!!!
she would care less what the taxpayer cost is..her and the obamation will waste spend throw away as much taxpayer dollars as possible….they are commies!!
The above photo – I can only think Bloody Mary’s “Happy Talk” in Rogers & Hammerstein’s “South Pacific”.
So what she is our Queen… Spend our money like it was worthless… Heck it is look at the government check book… It is empty… but Our King and Queen dont care… Let them eat cake…
Just be Happy to see how they smile and spend….
$100K is mere chump change to the Obamas when they’re busy spending your hard earned tax dollars. Didn’t the entire Hawaiian vacation cost $4M to begin with? Besides, they deserve it. ; )
Wow, not much left that I can say, all the previous comments pretty well covered this issue. The British Royal Family is much more frugal than the Obama’s. Many families across the country are doing without while the First Grifters continue mooching off the taxpayers.
Worst 1st lady EVER….. its all about her…. she doesn’t care about this counrty
Once more the ape like wife of Nobama is again screwing over taxayers with her vacations. They have exceeded to date $1.9B and within the next few years will double that. All the time, Washington burns, the Neros play!
The voice of the new GOP – hate, racism, ignorance. And you wonder why you lose elections.
Lets see,fiscal cliff, over spending ? Doesn’t this trash Michelle Obama have a home, it’s called the White House. And even IF they went away, why Hawaii? Don’t they have a home in Chicago.
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obama misses reggie and moochell won’t let reggie on the island.
I loathe these ‘people.’
Yup. You’re ruled by emotions. Describes the rabid right perfect – you have nothing but hate. No logic, no reason, no information. Just hate. How sad for you.
Dont the Obama daughters go back to school after New Year’s
Day like every one else? No special treatment right?
I can’t help but wonder if this isn’t a ruse to give Obama a plausible reason for returning to D.C. early. He was barely engaged in meaningful negotiations before leaving to Hawaii so what has changed that he now needs to be at the WH for? I wonder if there isn’t something more ominous about to happen that requires his presence like maybe having to be in the War Room? Just asking!
Same story, different year. The O’s will never change. But someday – perhaps after he’s out of office – we’ll find out why they never go to their nice home in Chicago to spend their family holidays.
After all the fuss about saying that Chicago is his home town
why don’t they spend the holiday there just once?!
It would sure make Mrs. Robinson happy I am sure.
Let me get this straight!! O is coming back home to get that deal
and then he’s gong to go back to Hawaii at taxpayer cost to
finish up his vacation which would take him to 2 weeks
before his re-inaugural?!! Don’t those Obama girls
have to go back to school before January 6th?!
I guess Michelle must not have any schedule now
until the inaugural.
TO MAKE A BIG DEAL OVER 100K-200K IN ADDITIONAL EXP. IS FOOLISH
IF YOUR ARE UPSET ABOUT THAT LOOK AT WHAT THEY ARE SPENDING OVERALL============
THEY SHOULD HAVE NEVER WENT IN THE FIRST PLACE, AND CANCELED IT WAY BEFORE THE LAST DAY TO SAVE THE TAX PAYER MILLIONS OF DOLLARS.!
EXECUTIVES IN PIRVIATE INDUSTRY HAVE TO CANCEL VACATIONS ALL OF THE TIME WHEN A MAJOR PROJECT DOSEN’T GET FINISHED.
ISN’T THE PRES . OF THE US TO BE HELD TO A HIGHER STANDARD.?
Cancel their vacation? Are you serious!
That comment did not add much to my welfare or knowledge base.
It shows clearly the “intellegence” and “logic” of the rabid right.
These clowns could care less what it costs, so long is is the taxpayer’s “nickle”…
The correct term is, “could NOT care less”.
Talking about pissing away taxpayer money.
I believe history will remember him as a wonderful president, who had a classy wife. I hope it won’t be so, but the media is enamored or in cohoots with the WH.
Reminds me of how history remembers FDR.
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You can thank yourselves, America, for voting the Thief-in-Chief in for another 4 years! We’ll now be continuing to pay for his vacations, excursions, and frivolous spending of our ever-increasing tax dollars.
His and HERS which probably more than doubles the figures.
I wish someone with a wide audience influence would start a campaign to flood the WH message centers with a STOP THE LAVISH VACATIONS!
I would love to know if there are ANY restrictions on how much a First Family can use of tax payer’s money for their personal vacations. What if a future President decided to spend the holidays in Tahiti or New Zealand or South Africa? Can they just go anywhere they desire, for as long as they desire and spend as much money as they desire?
At the very least, I think the WH needs to know that we Americans do not approve!
What you fail to realize, Jan, is that the White House does not give a damn what you, me, or the rest of the American taxpayers think.
Speak for yourself. We The People think The President of the United States deserves a great vaction. A handful of but hurt, rabid right, sore losers hate our President and resent the fact that the Frist Family go on vacation. You don’t matter.
What’s with the rabid silliness? I haven’t bitten anyone in yrs!
Also–the Frist Family–they owned a nursing home that mistreated my mother. Oh, well-probably need a diff blog for that story.
I think I heard something about the Frist family that questioned their credentials and their background always seemed a little murky, too.
Then we have on a flight to Africa Michell’s mother and both children were listed as staff; meaning their costs were covered bythe government. These people are a joke.
Let them eat cake. She can stay there forever and King George Obama can stay there with her.
“Shared Sacrifice” is for the rest of us and NOT an Elitist Liberal like the Mooch.
A real First Ladywould fly standby on a cargo plane and then bail out over the White House. You voted for her husband so live with it.
Send her home on a freighter. She can enjoy the cruise.
Even on Christmas you can’t help but express your raw hatred for our President and his wife. Why do you stay in this country. You hate everything we stand for. Just leave.
And the public spoke badly of GW, when he went to his home in Texas on his working vacation. Not their money paying for their vacation. Explain that to the working people.
You Idiots elected dem!!!!!
Of course she would stay there. She could care less how much it cost the taxpayers. They are the JEFFERSONS and they have moved on up….YASUM.
More racism from the rabid right. That’s the real reason you hate our President. Be honest.
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Bet the Obamas don’t travel like this when they have to pay for it themselves. Why don’t they use Camp David for vacations?
That’s beneath them!
NYT White House Correspondent: Obama ‘Hates’ Camp David Because There’s No Golf
Read more: http://newsbusters.org/blogs/noel-sheppard/2012/05/27/nyt-white-house-correspondent-obama-hates-camp-david-because-theres-n#ixzz2GDjJiG2K
May 27, 2011 – HELENE COOPER, NEW YORK TIMES WHITE HOUSE CORRESPONDENT & CHRIS MATTHEWS (Show)
So here’s your reason.
If obama had any presidential experience and talent on running the country, we would not be in this mess. Obama’s are cancer to America
AMEN! Privileged with an egotistical, narcissism!
Media compares Pres. Obama to Lincoln. Then that means Michelle spends like Mrs. Lincoln. Mrs. Lincoln was decorating the White House for thousands when the soldiers didn’t have money for new boots.
NOthing too good for them, especially when we are paying for it. This man could have negotiated in good faith to begin with and saved us this trouble. He didn’t! Boehner was negotiating with himself. The CIC just had to get another “paid for” golf trip in. We are so screwed.
The girls return to school on Jan 7 (according to the Sidwell Friends calendar). Though leaving Hawaii on Jan 6 won’t give them much time to shake off that jet lag. Michelle doesn’t even take her own kids into consideration.
Are some of you being paid to come on this site and be inflammatory?
What’s a couple hundred thousand among friends. Besides, I need a taxpayer funded vacation after that long and exhausting campaign. It’s hard work being the first lady, so quit complaining and go back to work.
greetings
i have heard some really silly and down right stupid things said but alas you people are out of your minds, you people are the reason i am an independent, you are all at best liars manipulating the facts to suit your needs or just stupid,( my wife says you are either evil or stupid) if the truth is not meeting your needs create your own, until we get rid of the political parties nothing will change, but without the republicats you all would not know what to think, or have your stale talking points to fall back on.
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The “caring” Obama Tribe is nothing but a group of moochers and spendthrifts.
Last night, in NY Penn Station, we met a little black boy who dropped his dinner. He was vexed. My wife and I gave him $5 and he thanked us, revealing that he and his mother or grandmother slept in Penn Station.
We did not begrude the $5 given in the name of Jesus Christ, but I abhor the Obama’s callous spending on themselves and Mama Robinson.
The parable of Dives and Lazarus comes to mind when I hear of the luxury the Obama Clan indulges on themselves and the crumbs tossed under the table to the dogs, as it were.
And with inflation up in our average by 30%, as we shop in our thrifty grocery stores, I am incensed that the Obama family is immune from its effects but the rest of us aren’t.
The Obama Family is SCUM, to use the acronymn of another: Socialist, Communist,Utopian, Marxist. Think Obama, think SCUM.
How sad for you. You have no idea what Marxism is. And you’re post, while mentioning Jesus Christ if hate filled nonsense. Jesus was not about hate, child. If you took the time to learn about Jesus and learn about Marxism you would learn of love and you would stop posting silly lies. Good luck.
Marxism is love?
Tell that to the victims of Mao, Stalin, Pol Pot, and Mugabe.
The previous presidents have taken their Christmas break at Camp David, saving the taxpayers millions for security personnel, who were therefore allowed to be at home with their families. This is the first president to go against that wonderful tradition. Here the Obamas are again burning up taxpayers’ money, and with no conscience or thought of what they are doing. If I had a gun, I would use it against them.
HEY LEAVE THE QUEEN ALONE !!!!!! She has to stay in Hawaii cause she has already scheduled several appointments to get her big fat A** waxed. And given the size of that A##, it will take several weeks. You go Queenie, we know you got some skin in the game. and buffer….
Why can’t She fly commercial if its safe? Like the rest of us.
one big ass mistake America
One sore loser.
One sore maker.
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