The Cost to Protect Donald Trump's Family
There is renewed interest in the cost of protecting the first family after the Trump administration proposed massive budget cuts to agencies across the government in the guise of eliminating wastage. Attention has centered on the contrast between cuts in federal spending and the rising cost of the president's travel itinerary.
Last week, The Washington Post reported that the Secret Service added $60 million to its $734 million "operations and support" protection budget for 2017. The additional fund request will cover the escalating costs of President Donald Trump's protection and travel.
Almost half of that amount — $26.8 million — will be earmarked for "resident security operations at the president's private residence in Trump Tower." Roughly $12.5 million of that would be allocated for "personnel related costs in New York," according to internal agency documents.
Get Our Latest News for FREE
The Office of Management and Budget (OMB) denied reports it rejected the additional funding request, saying the Secret Service "was continuing to refine its budgetary estimate." If the Secret Service doesn't get additional funds, it will be compelled to divert resources from other units.
But it's just not the Secret Service that is bleeding money for the first lady. The New York Police Department (NYPD) said it spent $146,000 a day protecting Melania and son Barron, which rises to $308,000 when the president joins them. That means the NYPD will spend $50 million a year to protect the first family.
Then, there are the constant trips to Trump's Mar-a-Lago resort in Florida, which Politico estimated to have cost taxpayers $3 million each time — the same budget for the U.S. Interagency Council on Homelessness for the whole 2017. The president has been there four times since his inauguration, blowing $12 million.
Palm Beach also felt the pinch on Trump's fondness for his "southern White House" and "winter White House." The county spent over $1.5 million in overtime pay to deputies guarding the resort, while the coast guard forked out $1,500 an hour for round-the-clock patrols along the coastlines whenever the president is around.
