Vice President Joe Biden visited Paris in February and stayed at the Hotel Intercontinental Paris Le Grand. The bill for one night was an astounding $585,000.50. An official from the State Department said the following to ABC News:
“These costs are nothing out of the ordinary. They are in line with high-level travel across multiple administrations. The contract costs cover the entire range of support, including accommodations for military, communications, secret service staff, and other support professionals. Security experts are also required to travel in advance of the president or vice president. Safety and security are not negotiable.”
White House Press Secretary Jay Carney told ABC News the following when asked about the price of President Obama’s one-day trip to Illinois earlier this month: “I don’t have a figure on the cost of presidential travel. It is obviously something, as every president deals with because of security and staff, a significant undertaking. But the president has to travel around the country. He has to travel around the world. That is part of his job.”
During last year’s campaign, Obama told KMOV of St. Louis the following: “The fact of the matter is, I think if you look at my track record, I’m raising a family here. When we travel, we got to travel through Secret Service, and Air Force One, that’s not my choice. I think most folks understand how hard I work and how hard this administration is working on behalf of the American people.”