A view of the Obamas exiting Air Force One in Hawaii, during their January 2015 vacation. (AP Photo/Marco Garcia))
You think your holiday plane ticket was expensive?
As the Obama family heads off on their annual Christmas vacation to Hawaii, critics are taking aim, due to the financial burden that flying Air Force One puts on American taxpayers.
The cost of operating the presidential plane is a staggering $206,337 per hour, according to the watchdog site Judicial Watch, which describes itself as a “conservative, non-partisan educational foundation” that “promotes transparency, accountability and integrity in government, politics, and the law.”
Multiply that by the 18 hours that it takes to fly from Washington, D.C. to Honolulu and you’re talking about a $3.7 million bill for operating the flight alone.
Judicial Watch got the figure for operating Air Force One through public records requests.
Tom Fitton, president of Judicial Watch, told AL.com that “the Obamas’ travel is out of control. They are treating the Air Force One like an Uber ride… And President Obama seems oblivious to the burden he is placing on Americans with his continuous vacations, getaways, and political junkets at taxpayer expense.”
The Obama family returning from their vacation on the Massachusetts island of Martha’s Vineyard. (AP Photo/Susan Walsh)
According to Judicial Watch, the Obamas have spent $11.6 million on “personal or largely personal travel” this year, including an Aspen skiing vacation that Michelle Obama took in February, a weekend trip to New York City for Barack and his daughters, golfing trips in Southern California, and the family’s annual summer vacation in Martha’s Vineyard. Since Obama took office in 2009, the group estimates that the first family’s trips have amounted to $70.5 million.
According to the Seattle Times, the White House disputes the numbers and says that some of the trips have had work elements, like a California trip where President Obama made a speech to the U.S. Conference of Mayors in San Francisco and also went golfing in Palm Springs.
The White House also points out that the president needs some time off. “The president recognizes that he is president of the United States 24 hours a day, seven days a week, wherever he happens to be,” White House spokesman Eric Schultz told the Seattle Times. “We believe the American people would not begrudge their president for taking some downtime with his family around the holidays.”
Moreover, the president is forced to use Air Force One for security reasons. (Can you imagine a president flying in economy?)
Despite the criticism, the reality is that Obama has not taken more vacation time than past presidents.
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