Secret Service depletes funds to pay agents because of Trump's frequent travel, large family

So it seems like Trump has had no problem spending so much on vacations and travel that he can no longer pay the secret service to protect him. Considering all the flack previous presidents *Cough Obama cough* have recieved for "lavish vacations" this will surely go over poorly with republicans. LOL kidding, his vacations help make America great again I'm sure.

Still though, it's August, and the annual budget for the secret service is already used up, and hundreds of hours of work have already gone unpaid. Trump started out by stiffing people in the private sector, and now he's stiffing people in the public sector. How unexpected.

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2017/08/21/secret-service-cant-pay-agents-because-trumps-frequent-travel-large-family/529075001/

fake news

He's going to surpass Obama's vacation total in a year. Incredible.

lol

There are about a thousand things we can criticize the president about when it comes to money his administration is costing the taxpayers. Secret Service protection isn't one of them, considering the fact that any other president with a large family would need their closest family members protected.

It also doesn't help when he is one of the most hated presidents in history, and the threat against not only him, but family members is higher than most previous presidents. If they can't get to Trump directly, they can go after a family member either to influence decisions or for revenge.

President Obama had to worry about the racist scumbags that didn't want a black man in the White House, as well as the more extreme birthers that believed that he was born in Kenya. President Trump, on the other hand, has to deal with everyone that thinks he is a racist bigot, everyone that thinks he is a Russian plant, everyone that doesn't want him to strengthen immigration laws, everyone that thinks he is unfit to serve, and a lot of other people that hate him for various other reasons which probably greatly outnumbered the racists that wanted Obama dead.

Interesting how you gloss over his massive amount of vacations costing tax payers. Also interesting how you equate racists with people who have legitimate grievances with Trump.

The fact that there are still apologists and spin doctors for Trump after his performance and behaviour these past 8 months truly blows my mind.

We very much can criticize him:

1. His many vacations require huge sums of money, and he has taken many.

2. His huge family that he seems determined to keep in key positions in government. Obviously all his family should have a certain degree of security, but when you give them positions then they need additional security because now they're family and staff.

3. His desire to not make the White House his permanent "base of operations" and have his wife and youngest son still live in New York. I mean every time he meets with a leader at Mar a Lago (why, by the way, there? Why not the White House?) it's more additional security.

Trump is allegedly a Republican, and allegedly a smart businessman, and none of what he does in this specific area rings true from either. And you know what? We had to deal with Obama getting shit for his travel, now Trump does; but at least Obama stuck within the budget, while Trump has exceeded his in...7 months?!

I've given up trying to understand. It's not about understanding, these are people driven either by kneejerk contrarian reflexes (which are therefore not even a logical process) or emotional instinct.

They will never change their mind; if anything, they will only become more entrenched. The only thing we can do is remove Trump for some wrongdoing...which they will deny ever happened, kind of like...

...this

That's how he will use less money. By simply not paying. A genius really. :P

i don't think many are arguing expenses should be spared to protect the presidency. the US can afford it.

i think what get people is the blatant hypocrisy of Trump whining about the previous administration's expenses for golf / vacations and then turns around and does the SAME fucking thing.

had he kept his idiot pie hole shut no one would care.

Yet he had them living in New York and costing extra money. He also vacations almost every weekend. We can criticize his waste of taxpayers money......not like he pays taxes though so what does he care.

@LJS9502_basic: @comp_atkins: @mrbojangles25: @perfect_blue: Am I wrong about the amount of people that have openly stated that they want Trump dead? A sitting state senator even posted that she hopes that he is assassinated.

All of you are right about him taking a lot of vacations and that is obviously going to be a source of people being upset, but that doesn't change the fact that the threat against his life is a lot higher than against President Obama. That is a side effect of the Hitler comparisons and people being told by the media and celebrities he is one tweet away from starting WW3.

In the interest of fairness, I will not deny that it is hypocritical to criticize Obama for his Secret Service protection while looking the other way with Trump's protection. I wouldn't be against him paying back some of the amount needed to protect him that goes above their normal budget. Most parents don't like pulling their kid out of class in the middle of the school year, but it is still something that he could have paid for out of his pocket.

But at the same time, people are upset we spend any money at all on him when people feel like he shouldn't be the president in the first place. That was the main audience for stories like this. Also, the fact that so many people here hate him should be a reason for the people here to realize why even if he didn't go on so many vacations, he would probably still need more protection based on the fact that so many people openly admitted that they are okay with his death being the reason his presidency ends prior to January 20, 2021.

@ad1x2: Whether he gets threatened more or less doesn't detract that presidents get x amount of secret service protection. I'm sure he has the same teams as other presidents. But he takes vacations excessively, had basically two different homes for his immediate family and the fact that his sons are involved in business which should have been divested anyway and traveling overseas......he is placing an undue strain on the taxpayers. Not that he cares about the working people in the US except as a slogan for rallies.

i'd ask then is the additional $ needed for protection because he is threatened more ( outside of his control), or because he takes more vacations ( within his control )?

personally i don't really care either way. he IS the president of united states and should be protected as such, regardless of the threat level against him.

So basically the taxpayers who are upset with Trump are to blame for his excessive use of their money. If the taxpayers didn't get so upset in the face of Trump's divisive rhetoric, actions, and presidency Donald wouldn't have to take weekly vacations to resorts.

It would be were he not a hypocrite. He blasted Pres. Obama for this very same thing. Was it fake news then?

Fair enough, and I can respect that.

But I think when you argue this case, you need to make that clear from the start; you are taking the objective stance, but it sounds like you are taking the pro-Trump stance. Conversely (or maybe likewise, who knows) this USA Today article could just be doing what it does and stirring up shit for the sake of stirring up shit, and not specifically because of Trump, so maybe don't assume they are outright going anti-Trump/"fake news" and so forth.

Simply because something is liberal, and/or anti-Trump, does not inherently make it fake, untruthful, and so forth. On rare occasions, it can even be unbiased.

You'd think that would be incentive to do a better job...

"Man, these people REALLY hate me. Like...REALLY. And there sure do seem to be a lot of them. Hey Security Dude, how much hate mail did Obama get? That little? Really? Damn, and he was black, too! Hmm...maybe I am as bad as they say..."

If only Trump would have a How The Grinch Stole Christmas moment

@LJS9502_basic: I seriously doubt reasonable people here would have complained about President Obama getting extra protection being that he was the first president of African American origin holding the office, with credible threats against his life from racists that wanted to "keep the White House white." Yet, it seems like many of the people that would be okay with more being spent on protecting Obama (rightfully so, with racist scumbags being out there) suddenly have a problem with more being spent on President Trump despite groups like Antifa and others greatly outnumbering the KKK and Neo-Nazis.

When it comes down to it, Trump is a billionaire with a large family, who also owns a business with properties all over the place. If people have a problem with his family and properties getting all of that protection, then they need to write their lawmakers and get them to change the law. Good luck getting justification to change it when social media is flooded with death threats against him and his family daily, and even celebrities that have millions of followers have hinted that Trump should be assassinated.

So in less than a year he's already spent more than 1/4 of what Obama spent in 8 years on vacations.

How can anyone defend this complete disrespect to the taxpayers?

This has nothing to do with extra protection. He wastes money on weekend jaunts and golf trips plus his family costs more money to cover. Honestly it was better before they covered the entire family.

And you avoided the point about the adult business children costing the US money for their overseas trips.

You need a pitchfork?

At the end of the day this wouldn't be a bid deal given that Trump didn't harp on Obama constantly about his golfing, vacations, or any minutia of spending. By being a hypocrite he's brought this on himself. In addition, this coming from the party of fiscal responsibility.

This is where we disagree, my friend. He's essentially traveling with other people's money - that sounds like a good business move to me lol.

I never claimed that how much being spent on Secret Service protection is fake news, I am 100% sure that it is real. The thing is two news organizations can take the same news, use the headline to present it in both a negative and positive way, and both still be correct. An example is a pro-Trump organization can state that last Monday," President Trump gives words of support, once again criticizing the violence that claimed the life of a protester," while an anti-Trump organization can state "Trump calls out the KKK and Neo-Nazis by name after three days," putting emphasis on the three day period. Both headlines are true, but the second one makes Trump look like a piece of crap for waiting three days versus the first one making him look like someone that has repeatedly criticized what happened.

As for your last part I underlined, it isn't a black and white situation. It isn't like Trump is proposing laws that not a single person in the country can get behind, he is making proposals that are pissing off many Democrats, Hollywood, and many parts of the news media, but are exactly the things that a large portion of middle America wants him to do. If his ideas were things that absolutely nobody could get behind other than a bunch of racist bigots, then he would have never gotten elected in the first place, let alone talk about how he thinks negative coverage is fake news. Besides, no president has ever gotten a 100% approval rating, no matter how good you are doing, there are going to be people that are going to say you suck because your agenda isn't what they want.

If you look back at President Obama, plenty of people hated him for trying to close down Gitmo, being soft on protecting gun rights, and several other things conservatives value. Going back to President George W. Bush, plenty of people hated him for going to war with Iraq, for blocking stem-cell research, and several other things that liberals value. Him doing the things that you feel will make his biggest haters stop hating him are a great way to piss off the people that voted for him. For example, immigration amnesty may make people that think he is racist against Latinos hate him less, but it will piss off the people that voted for him because he promised to deport people that are in the country illegally. Plus, there's the whole thing about him still being doomed not to get the Democratic vote by doing a total flip flop since they will simply vote for his opponent on the Democratic ticket anyway, assuming that he even makes it through the primaries so he can run for reelection in the first place.

@ad1x2: his proposals arent even getting through his own party though, it's that bad. People voted for him because he had talking points, not ideas. He said things he knew middle America wanted to hear even though he had no plans or even ideas on how to make them happen.

I mean seriously, you use the fact that he is the most hated president to try to justify his ridiculous expenses for protection but then you turn around to basically say well other presidents were hated like him too, so hes not that bad. I just dont get it.

lol yeah and now he is sending more troops (or wants to) to Afghanistan and looking around like "did I do good, guys?!" and all the Republicans are looking at eachother like "Ummm...sure, Trumpy...sure, you did good."

Most loathed or most patronized, either way it sucks.

lol dude, his approval ratings are in the low 30's... that is not a "large portion" of anything. His "ideas" (if you can even call it that) are disliked by the vast majority in America and he didn't even win the most votes in the election vs. another disliked candidate. It's a lot more than just "Democrats, Hollywood," and the "news media".

Why do you still defend this guy? If the past 7 months aren't an indicator to you of how woefully incompetent and unfit for office this guy is, I don't really know what to say.

I realize you're military to the core and as such you like the wasted dollars conservatives throw at the military. As a vet....and someone that believes in a strong military I can say without any pause that we spend too much money on the military. Cutting it back a little isn't going to leave us behind. We still spend more than other countries. But we could use that money for oh I don't know...........health or education two things we lag behind other nations in. Our priorities are out of whack with necessity.

That said I want to address the victim card you guys throw around. Trump wasn't exactly a popular candidate. Sure he has his rabid fan base that make those headlines up instead of looking at reality and believe the false narrative but they are in the minority. He won because the media did spend time......though you don't want to admit it....pushing email scandals etc on his not well liked opponent. I think if the October emails had been ignored....something the media would have done if they were so biased as you claim.........the outcome may have been different. He swung a few key states and got the EC not the actual popular vote. So he entered office not as the people's choice. He has done nothing in office but scandals. He clearly is unfit. Didn't think he'd win and now he's stuck. He is NOT a good representative of this country. The three key states Michigan, Wisconsin, and Pennsylvania would not vote for him if the election were held today. He doesn't seem to be on a learning curve either so I doubt we'll see a repeat....if he even hangs in there.

All president's get criticism. This is a fact. All president's don't swing from scandal to scandal. Stop blaming everyone but Trump for the mess he's made.

Heh. That's a pretty telling statement about the two parties in the 21st century.

And perhaps refusing to use the other vacation place that is better made when it comes to security compared to Mar-lago or whatever the place he usually goes to.

well, all those security peeps need rooms and meals too. what better place to put them up on the taxpayer's dime than a place he owns...

I know. He gotta make money somehow since he declined the president's wage. Poor man, bet he barely has enough to put food on the table. Has Obama said anything about his frequent vacations?

Are you drunk? Trump does not have anything to do with the budget or the paying of the Secret service agents.

The budget comes from the congress and it´s up to them to pay the agents.

Also you may want to fill the entire picture out

https://www.usatoday.com/story/news/politics/2016/10/23/hundreds-secret-service-agents-maxed-out-overtime/92526456/

That was during Obamas administration, not to mention the sex scandal was during Obama.

It was also recently leaked recently about how he treats his secret service agents, he treats them like butlers having them run errands for him and bosses them around and isn't respectful to them at all. At very least, he should remember they are there to take a bullet for him, they might not be so inclined to if they have utter contempt for him.

I'm more interested in the fact that he is set to eclipse Obama's entire 8 years of vacation time in just one year. Really highlights the extreme racism still present in our society. We all know what the criticisms of Obama for taking vacations was really motivated by.

Are you "triggered?"

Are you?

@Jacanuk: yet another subject where you make yourself look like a fool.

The thread is about Trump spending the entire yearly budget given to him before the year was over. It's entirely his fault.

Yet again you miss the point.

Don´t you ever get tired of missing the boat so often?

@Jacanuk: Sorry, I forgot your reading comprehension skills are almost as bad as your maths skills.

I'll try to explain this in a way someone of your level may understand.

Saying that Trump didn't set the budget is irrelevant because the issue at hand isn't that the budget is too high or too low, but that Trump failed to work within it.

Trump doesnt choose how much he can spend, but he does choose on what its spent on. And what he decided to spend it on was going on holiday every week.

Also if you're going to try and argue that he should have been given more money by congress, then why did Obama never have this problem? (Its because Obama actually did his job rather than constantly going on holiday)

Again you miss the point.

Trump is the president and does not have to work within the budget, The budget has to work around him and the fact that his family is bigger than Obama´s clearly require more money. Also the budget problems does not begin with Trump it was even there when Obama was president, not to mention sex scandals, drinking and a lot of other shit and overworked agents. particular during the Obama years.

As the secret service themselves say and have said long before Trump even began his run.

Meanwhile, the Secret Service also has several big asks from Congress. On Wednesday, the House passed a $22 million measure that would make Secret Service officers eligible for overtime pay for their work during the crowded primary season. (Like many law enforcement officers, Secret Service agents’ pay is capped.) Agents also want more funding in general.

While the agency was allocated $2.1 billion for the campaign year, its budget for next year is around $1.9 billion – and that includes money to protect the Obama family, which is remaining in Washington rather than returning to Chicago as their younger daughter continues high school.

“That’s not a formula to succeed,” said Mihalek. It’s a longstanding complaint for an agency that faced extra scrutiny in recent years after agents were caught drinking, soliciting prostitutes in Colombia and failing to stop a man who jumped over the White House fence from entering the building.

“Our budget has not expanded the way our protective mandate has expanded since 9/11,” Mihalek said.

So as i said get the whole picture before you jump on with your insane trump hate.

Trumpettes back then: Trump will do his job and never go on vacation!

Trumpettes now (or at least, according to Jancuck): Trump is the president and can do whatever he wants!

Do you ever get tired of mental gymnastics? I'm pretty sure you do, but hey, whatever makes you feel better about yourself and your support for the orange troll doll.

@LJS9502_basic: well stated.

Do you ever get tired of not knowing jack shit about what you commenting on? And nice try even denying facts from the secret service themselves

Did you know that part of the Secret Service´s budget goes to compensating local police despite the fact that a rule has been that local police pays for any protection, simply because a democratic congress listened to complaints over the bush family.

Hey, I'm just using Trumpette logic here. If you have an issue, go yell at yourself or something. Or pretend it's Obama doing it and then complain.

So debating facts is trump logic? Are you really this partisan that you can´t even debate facts now.

But facts are the budget has not changed since 9/11 and the added cost has just gotten higher and higher with the added protection duties.

The fault is neither Obama´s, Bush´s or Trump´s its solely down to the congress who fail to give the Secret Service a proper budget which has led to shortfalls and agents who go overboard with sex and drinking scandals.

@Jacanuk: then why when times are harde did he decide to go on far more holidays than his predecessor?

Theres no way you can pin the blame on anyone but Trump.

I can't hear you from this safe space?

Times are not harder because of Trump then it was under Obama.

Do i have to pull up the stories again about the drinking&Sex scandals? the overworked agents complaining under Obama.

"A Secret Service spokeswoman said the 2016 budget for “protecting persons and places” was $871.7 million – a number that includes protecting multiple principles, including foreign leaders who visit America. (The budget for protecting the president and first family is classified, and even former agents hesitated to make an estimate out of security concerns.) To pay for protecting Trump before his inauguration, the agency is still operating on its budget set aside for the campaign and transition, about $72 million for labor and travel between Oct. 1 and Jan. 20."

“It’s nothing new for the Secret Service,” said Pickle.

Of course, Manhattan is more expensive than Crawford, Texas, site of the Western White House where George W. Bush would spend weeks at a time clearing brush between security briefings during his working vacations.

The Secret Service pays Vice President Joe Biden more than $2,000 a month to rent a cottage near his home in Delaware, where he spends most weekends. And while Obama rarely visits his Chicago home, his multiweek vacations to ritzy locales have attracted conservative ire. One of Obama’s annual family vacations to Hawaii cost taxpayers an estimated $8 million, according to Judicial Watch.

But it was George H.W. Bush’s regular travel back to Kennebunkport, Maine, that led Congress to rethink how it compensates local law enforcement for presidential protection.

Usually, local law enforcement agencies are expected to deal with the costs when the president comes to town, said Pickle. But police departments in the small New England towns between New Hampshire’s PeaseAir Force base and the Bush family compound complained about the repeated burden, and Congress opened up the option for the Secret Service to reimburse local officials for “constant and recurring” costs, Pickle said.

Meanwhile, the Secret Service also has several big asks from Congress. On Wednesday, the House passed a $22 million measure that would make Secret Service officers eligible for overtime pay for their work during the crowded primary season. (Like many law enforcement officers, Secret Service agents’ pay is capped.)

Agents also want more funding in general.

While the agency was allocated $2.1 billion for the campaign year, its budget for next year is around $1.9 billion – and that includes money to protect the Obama family, which is remaining in Washington rather than returning to Chicago as their younger daughter continues high school.

“That’s not a formula to succeed,” said Mihalek. It’s a longstanding complaint for an agency that faced extra scrutiny in recent years after agents were caught drinking, soliciting prostitutes in Colombia and failing to stop a man who jumped over the White House fence from entering the building.

“Our budget has not expanded the way our protective mandate has expanded since 9/11,” Mihalek said.

As you can see it´s not just Trump´s travel that is causing the Secret Service to have budget problems

So let´s stop blame the trump game and put the blame where it needs to be put at congress who seem to lack the intelligence to pass a proper budget.

I wonder if Jacanuk gets paid for all this shilling (probably not).

Awww it´s so sweet when you try to act all cool and deny facts.

@Jacanuk: That's your reading comprehension acting up again. Like I've told you before you should probably see a specialist.

I didn't say it was because of Trump that the cost has gone up, I said that since the costs have gone up, shouldn't he go on less holidays not more?

The simple fact is Trump has failed to act within the budget that was given to him