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With thousands of families struggling to raise funds for Christmas, you would think the Obamas might manage a little thriftiness.
But last night, Michelle Obama and her two daughters flew to Hawaii for a 17-day holiday - days before the president joins them.
The separate flights will incur costs of more than $100,000 to the taxpayer.
Vacation: The President was scheduled to begin his trip on December 17 - but his family will leave without him. Last year's trip to Hawaii, pictured, was also delayed
Obama has vowed to stay in Washington until Congress passes an extension of the payroll tax cut and will join his family before Christmas.
By not waiting for Congress to reach a decision before jetting off together, the family is inflicting eye-watering costs on the taxpayer.
More...Congress set to push through Obama tax cut extension to give families earning $50,000 a year an extra $1,000
From the First Family to yours: Obamas release their first Christmas card in two years
When Michelle flew to Hawaii alone last year, it cost a staggering $63,000 - without security or staff costs - according to White House Dossier website.
Michelle, 13-year-old Malia and 10-year-old Sasha will leave Washington Friday after giving toys to the Marines Corps’ Toys for Tots programme.
Time apart: Michelle Obama and her daughters, Sasha (right) and Malia, pictured on the family's Christmas card, will have their flights paid for by the taxpayer
Barack Obama previously said to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: 'Michelle and the girls are going to have a great time in Hawaii. They don't need me there.'
The president's family covers the cost of a private beach front residence in Kailua, Oahu, for the vacation - a ‘Winter White House’ that costs up to $3,500 a day, or $75,000 a month.
But the local and federal taxpayers help pay the bill for travel and security.
Last year the trip cost more than $1 million, according to the Hawaii Reporter.
The move also puts the president at odds with one of his own executive orders that instructed agencies to avoid unnecessary flights, said the site.
Republicans, including presidential candidate Mitt Romney, have criticised Mr Obama's holiday plans, which were originally scheduled to begin on December 17 for 17 days.
Commitment: Obama will miss the start of the annual holiday to his birthplace in order to fix the budget crisis. It is unknown when he will be able to join the family
Luxury: The family will travel by Air Force One, pictured, which costs $180,000 per hour - or around $1,000,000 for a return trip from Washington to Hawaii
'I just think it's time to have a president whose idea of being 'hands on' doesn't mean getting a better grip on the golf club,' Mr Romney told voters in Iowa.
'I just think it's time to have a president whose idea of being 'hands on' doesn't mean getting a better grip on the golf club'Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney
Last year's holiday was similarly delayed, but the Obamas added a few extra days to the end to make up for the inconvenience.
The president, who was raised in Hawaii until he was six, previously announced there were no public events scheduled for the trip.
Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said the president didn't want lawmakers to leave town without reaching an agreement on the extension.
'What the president made clear was that the House would leave at its peril, its political peril, and they will face the embarrassment of trying to explain why they're taking the holiday off while working families across America are going to see their taxes increase,' he said, according to Politico.
A job to do: Speaking in Washington on Thursday, President Obama proposed new minimum wage and overtime protections for in-home care workers
President Obama told lawmakers this week they could not leave for family trips until decisions have been reached.
'Congress should not and cannot go on vacation before they have made sure that working families aren't seeing their taxes go up by a thousand dollars,' he said.
A White House official said that the president and the Republicans could 'all spend Christmas here together' if Congress didn't act.
It comes following the President's proposals on Thursday to establish minimum wage and overtime pay for in home care workers.
Obama, speaking at the White House, said the workers are often paid less than the minimum wage, even when working 70 hours a week.
'That’s just wrong,' he said. 'They deserve to be treated fairly. They deserve to be paid fairly for a service that many older Americans couldn’t live without.'
FIRST LADY OF LUXURY TRAVEL: THE COSTLY TRIPS
SPAIN: AUGUST 2010
Michelle Obama and 40 of her friends paid for personal expenses, such as hotels and meals themselves.
But the U.S. taxpayer would have paid for the 68-strong security detail, personal staff and use of presidential jet Air Force Two.
Payment for the secret service team ran at around $281 each - nearly $98,000 for the duration of the summer break.
Use of Air Force Two comes in at $149,900 for the round trip, not including time on the ground.
Mrs Obama's personal staff, of which there were an unknown number, should also be taken into account.
HAWAII: DECEMBER 2010
According to the Hawaii Reporter, the bill for the trip included:
$63,000 on an early flight bringing Mrs Obama and the children to Hawaii ahead of the President
$1,000,000 on Mr Obama’s return trip from Washington on Air Force One
$16,000 to rent nearby homes for Secret Service and Navy Seals
$134,000 for 24 White House staff to stay at the Moana Hotel
$251,000 in police overtime
$10,000 for an ambulance to be on hand at all times
SKI TRIP TO VAIL: FEBRUARY 2011
Michelle Obama and her daughters stayed at the Sebastian hotel on Vail Mountain, where rooms cost more than $2,400 for multi-bedroom suites.
The family appear to have flown there on Air Force Two.
They were escorted to the resort by about a dozen vehicles, including 15 state and local law enforcement officers.
MARTHA'S VINEYARD: AUGUST 2011
The Blue Heron Farm estate, where the Obama family stayed, rents for about $50,000 a week.
Michelle, Sasha and Malia Obama flew to the estate just hours before the president to make the most of the holiday - again, incurring extra flight costs.
According to U.S. News and World Report, the Coast Guard was required to keep ships floating near the property. The presidential helicopter and jet remain at the ready and security agents will be on 24-hour duty.
Read more:
http://www.dailymail.co.uk/news/article-2075066/Obama-family-jet-Hawaii-separately-cost-100-000-taxpayer.html#ixzz1guXILuft
