Michelle Obama Spain trip cost US taxpayers almost $500,000

Wow. Just Wow. In these times. With this economy.

A personal vacation for First Lady Michelle Obama and her daughter Sasha ended up costing the United States taxpayer almost $500,000. Me thinks this is a bit extravagant and a waste of your's and mine's hard earned money.

The total cost was $467,585, according to Judicial Watch, who says it took “two years and a lawsuit” to get the information. The American people can ill afford to keep sending the First Family on vacations around the globe. There needs to be greater sensitivity to the costs borne by taxpayers for these personal trips.

Obama and her then-nine-year-old younger daughter, Sasha, went on the trip to Andalusia and Majorca “with two friends and four of their daughters, as well as a couple of aides and a couple of advance staff members,” the New York Times reported at the time. The vacation included a meeting with King Juan Carlos and Queen Sofia. Obama and the other family paid for their own hotel bills, but Judicial Watch said the flight costs came to $199,323.75.

“The 15-member flight crew stayed at Tryp Guadalmar, a nearby motel. Lodging cost was $10,290 and car rental cost was $2,633. Food cost was $876. “Secret Service records meanwhile, show that the costs to the agency for the vacation were $254,461. This total includes $26,670 for a chauffeur tour of Costa del Sol and $50,078 for a travel planning company. Taxpayers also paid the bill for separate lodging for a dog and its handler.”