The mounting costs of Trump's many travels to Mar-a-Lago are trouble
PUBLISHED ONApril 17, 2017 6:39 AMByMarcus Gilmer
Where is President Donald Trump this weekend?
If you said his Mar-a-Lago estate, there's a 54 per cent chance you're right and the Center For American Progress (CAP) is keeping track of all kinds of numbers related to Trump's frequent Florida fly-away weekends.
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The site - Is Trump At Mar-a-Lago? - tracks not only whether or not Trump is spending the weekend at the estate but also how much money it's costing taxpayers.
And to twist the knife a little, it also calculates what that money could be used for instead of Trump's weekends away, focusing on programs that are under the knife from the Trump administration.
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For instance, according to the CAP, the $25 million reportedly spent thus far on Mar-a-Lago trips (including Easter weekend) could buy 9,000 meals for Meals on Wheels. Or it could fund 7,000 Pell Grants a year.
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While we're not yet even at the milestone 100 Day mark for the Trump presidency, one of the (many, many) eye-opening things about Trump's tenure thus far is the large amount spent on time away from the White House.
As for CAP's number of $25 million thus far, it should come with a grain of salt. They cite the US Government Accountability Office as their source. The GAO is currently investigating the long-term costs at the request of a group of Democratic senators, including Elizabeth Warren (D-MA).
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Much has been made in the media recently about Trump being on pace to spend in one year what President Obama spent on travel over his entire eight years in office.
Read the full article here.
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