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A2 UP FRONT
Monday 22 april 2024

When it comes to government planes and political trips, who pays

for a president's campaign travel?

By CHRIS MEGERIAN that are immediately rec- ence to the hush money
Associated Press ognizable as the iconic trial that recently got un-
WASHINGTON (AP) — It's no humpback Air Force One. derway in New York.)
simple matter to move the (Sometimes the president It's up to the White House
commander in chief from uses a more modest modi- counsel's office to figure
point A to B, and it's even fied 757 if his destination is out what percentage of
more complicated when nearby or if a runway isn't the president's travels are
the president is seeking a long enough to accommo- campaign related. That
second term. date the bigger plane.) determines how much the
President Joe Biden re- Marine One costs between federal government should
cently spent three days $16,700 and almost $20,000 be reimbursed by the Biden
in Pennsylvania, a pivotal per hour to operate, ac- campaign. Sometimes the
state in the 2024 cam- cording to Pentagon data calculations aren't straight-
paign, and he plans to be for the 2022 budget year. forward, such as when the
in Virginia and Florida this Air Force One is even White House adds an offi-
coming week. The Demo- President Joe Biden boards Air Force One, March 11, 2024, at more expensive: roughly cial event to an otherwise
cratic incumbent is seeking Andrews Air Force Base, Md. $200,000 per hour. political trip.
an edge over Republican Associated Press But those figures only Norm Eisen, a White House
Donald Trump as he ramps bill during the campaign The White House uses Sikor- scratch the surface of the ethics lawyer under Presi-
up his travels around the season. sky helicopters known as real cost. There also are dent Barack Obama, said
country. HOW MUCH DOES IT COST? Marine One when the military cargo planes that both Republicans and
Here's a look at how much It's not cheap to fly the president is aboard, as travel ahead of the presi- Democrats have usually
it costs and who pays the president's fleet. well as custom Boeing 747s dent to make sure his ar- hewed closely to regula-
mored limousines are in tions. "We had a set of
place, not to mention the rules on how to do the al-
enormous security appa- locations," he said. "They're
ratus that follows the presi- intricate, and we stuck to
dent everywhere. them." No matter what,
New aircraft are in the taxpayers end up on the
works because the current hook for most of the cost.
versions are decades old. Campaigns do not pay
Sikorsky is producing 23 up- for all the Secret Service
dated helicopters to serve agents and the rest of the
as Marine One. Boeing is security apparatus. In fact,
building two new Air Force they usually only cover the
One planes, and they are cost of Air Force One pas-
scheduled to be finished sengers who are flying for
by 2028. According to the explicitly political purposes
Pentagon, the planes will — sort of like buying a tick-
come with all enhance- et on a particularly exclu-
ments, including "a mission sive private jet.
communication system," a HOW MUCH HAS BIDEN
"self-defense system" and PAID?
even "autonomous bag- Biden's campaign and his
gage loading." joint fundraising committee
WHO PAYS FOR THE TRAV- have been stockpiling trav-
EL? el cash in an escrow ac-
When the president flies count maintained by the
for political purposes, the Democratic National Com-
campaign is supposed mittee. From January 2023
to pay the bill. But during until the end of last month,
an election year, the line they deposited nearly $6.5
between governing and million.Some of that money
campaigning can be fuzzy. goes to general campaign
For example, Biden held logistics, such as staff ex-
an official event Wednes- penses and advance work.
day in Pittsburgh, where he The account is also used to
announced his proposal reimburse the federal gov-
for higher tariffs on steel ernment for official aircraft
imported from China. The used to transport the presi-
event, however, was a not- dent, the first lady, the vice
so-subtle opportunity for president and the second
the president to rub shoul- gentleman when they trav-
ders with union members el for the reelection effort.
who are critical to his re- So far, not much money
election, and he jabbed has found its way back
at Trump in his remarks. (At to the U.S. Treasury. As of
one point Biden joked that the latest data available,
the former president was just $300,000 has been
"busy right now," a refer- provided.q