White House Says $100 Million Africa Trip Is Great “Bang For Our Buck”

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obama1The White House Friday defended the first family’s upcoming weeklong trip to Africa, which could cost taxpayers up to $100 million, as “great bang for our buck.”

“There will be a great bang for our buck for being in Africa because when you travel to regions like Africa that don’t get a lot of presidential attention, you tend to have very longstanding and long-running impact from the visit,” said Ben Rhodes, a deputy national security adviser to President Obama.

The Obamas’ trip, at a time of “sequestration” budget cuts, will take them to Senegal, Tanzania and South Africa from June 26 to July 3. Citing a confidential planning document, the Washington Post reported that the trip will cost between $60 million to $100 million.

The excursion will involve military cargo planes airlifting 56 support vehicles, including 14 limousines, and three trucks to carry bulletproof glass panels to cover the windows where the first family is set to stay. A Navy aircraft carrier or amphibious ship with a fully staffed medical trauma center will be stationed offshore in case of an emergency.

Fighter jets will fly in shifts to provide around-the-clock protection over the president’s airspace. The trip will reportedly involve hundreds of Secret Service agents.

The president and first lady Michelle Obama also had planned to take a safari in Tanzania, which reportedly would have required a special counterassault team to carry sniper rifles in the event of a threat from wild animals. But the safari was canceled in favor of a trip to Robben Island off the coast of Cape Town, South Africa, where Nelson Mandela was held as a political prisoner.

Read more: THE WASHINGTON TIMES

{Matzav.com Newscenter}


15 COMMENTS

  1. It will be a certain pay off when Africa becomes more integrated into western society and western diplomacy. G-d has a plan for Africa I am certain and I think that this is a good time to start investing hope in a huge continent of many natural and personal resources that will continue to supply freedom for many years. Africa is a huge asset yet to be discovered in true time.

  2. Duh! Did anyone expect that the White House would agree that this is a disgraceful waste of OUR money??? So these self aggrandizing spenders of other people’s hard earned money stop for a second to think that this money is NOT their free spending allowance?
    Why can’t our elected officials challenge them? And guess what, as Yogi said, “It ain’t over till it’s over!” They’ve got another 40 months to spend freely! Oy gevalt!

  3. Chutzpah!!!! They stopped white house tours and cut back air traffic controllers because they had to cut 75 million out of the budget but we can find 100 million for this? Let him pay out of his own pocket or wait until he is no longer pres if he wants to take such a trip!!!!

  4. Whom are you kidding?? That is, how do you have the chutzpah to lie abut what Obama is doing: running away from three major scandals (and more on the way, no doubt) absolutely tied to him. He has nobody “in the White House” to throw under the bus! Wat nerve!
    Thus “public servant” is an employee – of mine and of all other taxpayng citizens – and I deny him permission to throw away my tax dollars like Louis XIV of France.
    And it is not “The White House says” – it is Barack Hussein himself telling his staff the lies to say – even without a TelePrompter.

  5. Like King Louis the 14th and Marie Antoinette spending other people’s money, while the people are struggling. What good will this trip do for America?? Otherwise — they will not take the money that America gives them??
    He has to go running around to get his pictures in the paper?? So many things of importance to do and he is totally not involved. Nobody home.

  6. He is doing the trip for our benefit. Sarcssm
    Its opm other peoples money. Tax us more. Politics at its best. I want change. I only got pennies back.
    Lets change back. Yes we can.

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