(RepublicanWire.org) – President Biden’s regular trips to his home state of Delaware have cost taxpayers at least $11 million since the start of his presidency.
Biden has made 56 trips to Delaware, spanning all or part of 177 days, according to data from former CBS correspondent Mark Knoller in October. Biden now has 57 trips to Delaware and 185 days.
The trips require taxpayer dollars to fund costs associated with the use of either Air Force One or Marine One, as well as security costs for the Secret Service. The president spends time in Delaware at his homes in Wilmington and Rehoboth Beach.
Public documents from the Department of Defense comptroller show that the Marine One helicopters used by the president cost between $17,065 and $20,206 per hour.
The helicopter trip between the White House and locations in Delaware takes roughly an hour, according to the president’s schedule.
Air Force One’s operational costs are $177,843 per hour, and the trip to Delaware takes roughly 30 minutes, according to the president’s schedule.
This puts the total operational costs for the trips, including each method of transportation, at about $4 million.
Documents obtained by the New York Post last year showed a Secret Service cost of $1.96 million on the president’s first 16 trips to Delaware.
A per-trip cost from these data applied to the president’s now 57 trips leaves an approximate $7 million tab for taxpayers.
The $11 million receipt for Biden’s Delaware trips is probably a significant underestimate since it does not tally many other miscellaneous costs.
These include spending for additional helicopters that travel along with him, travel to or from military airports before or after an Air Force One flight, and accommodations for staff who accompany him.
The president has other, quite comfortable options for the weekend. The White House itself is one of the nation’s most beautiful mansions. Additionally, the president can also avail himself of the country retreat at Camp David, which is only a half-hour chopper ride away. He has been there 19 times as president, far less often than he goes to Delaware.
But as president, Biden’s predilection for spending as much time in Delaware as possible is costing taxpayers well more than $200,000 roundtrip.