President Barack Obama's family vacation to Hawaii over the Christmas holidays in 2015 cost taxpayers $4.8 million dollars, reports the conservative watchdog group Judicial Watch.
Judicial Watch obtained the records through a Freedom of Information Act request. According to those records, the Secret Service's travel expenses alone made up $1.2 million of that cost.
Here is the breakdown of the Secret Service's costs, according to Judicial Watch:
- Hotel and lodging: $1,000,458.63.
- Car rentals: $165,893.88.
- Air and rail expenses: $67,964.16.
It was the Obamas' eighth trip to the president's home state, and the family's total travel expenses so far during eight years in office have been $85 million.
"The Secret Service and the Air Force are being abused by unnecessary travel," Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said. "Unnecessary presidential travel for fundraising and luxury vacations on the taxpayers' dime would be a good target for reform for the incoming [Donald] Trump administration."
The Secret Service and New York Police Department are in talks to rent out space in Trump Tower in New York City, where Trump's wife, Melania, and 10-year-old son, Barron, plan to remain at least until the end of the current school year. The space needed typically goes for $3 million a year.
Judicial Watch said it filed an FOIA request for the documents in January, but received no response. The group filed several more requests that were not answered, and eventually filed an FOIA lawsuit in May, which led to the release.
Here is a more detailed breakdown of the expenses of last year's trip, according to Judicial Watch:
- Rental for nearby homes: $245,993.12.
- Hotel room rentals: $40,249.48 and $671,895.99.
- 103 rental cars: $165,893.88.
- Rental for Obama at the Hale Reena Estate: $5,000 to $10,000 a night, depending on the season.
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