How Much is Bush's SS Tour Costing You?

STAFF COSTS BETWEEN $22,000 AND $59,000 PER EVENT: On 10/3/02, the Associated Press reported, "The White House has estimated that trips, on average, cost between $22,000 and $59,000 for staff, not including security and aircraft."

AIR FORCE ONE COSTS ABOUT $55,000 PER HOUR: The operational, per hour cost of Air Force One varies, depending on who you ask, but ranges from $35,000—$50,000 per hour in 2000 dollars. In 2000, The Republican National Committee issued a press release estimating the cost at $35,000/hr. On 8/21/2000, the the New York Post reported that, “The cost per hour of a White House flight varies, depending on the plane used. It's typically about $50,000 per hour to fly the president and his entourage on Air Force One—or seven times the hourly rate of a commercial Boeing 747.” $50,000 in 2000 dollars is about $55,000 in today's dollars.

BUSH HAS A HISTORY OF ABUSING TRAVEL BUDGETS: On 10/20/02, the Washington Post reported "the White House has billed the federal Office of Family Assistance $210,000 to help pay for five trips in which President Bush promoted welfare reform at official events and made separate fundraising appearances for GOP candidates." An HHS spokesperson "said the $210,000 from the Office of Family Assistance helped pay for stages, sound and other speech-related costs on the trips." The Office of Family Assistance is supposed to use its funding to administer programs for poor children and families - not the President's travel.

This, of course, doesn't include the costs to local government of security when he holds these events. And while the amount spent may be small compared to the federal deficit, every little bit counts, especially considering it costs five times more to run Air Force one for an hour ($55,000) than Social Security pays the typical recipient in an entire year ($11,000). When put that way, his abuse of his travel privileges and wasteful attitude toward taxpayer money is no small matter.