Swamp Spending: Your Tax Dollars NOT at Work

Trump

•  He’s set the tone for this wasteful spending by spending tens of millions in taxpayer money on his weekly excursions to his golf clubs and resorts.
• His Mar-a-Lago trips cost an estimated $3 million each – he has been there 16 times since becoming president.

Scott Pruitt

• Reporting shows that Pruitt has lived in a Capitol Hill condo rented to him by a company connected to a fossil fuel lobbyist. It’s unclear if his rent is below market value, which could be seen as a gift to Pruitt.
• Scott Pruitt is still under investigation over taxpayer-funded travel to his home state and he has spent tens of thousands of taxpayer money on non-commercial flights and first-class travel.

Steven Mnuchin

• Steve Mnuchin was investigated by Treasury’s inspector general for his use of a government plane to fly to Kentucky at the exact time when the state was a prime location for viewing the eclipse.; his request to use a government plane for his European honeymoon, which would’ve cost taxpayers about $25,000 an hour.; and his use of a government jet to make the trip from New York City to Washington, D.C., which cost as much as $25,000.

Ryan Zinke

• Zinke and his aides have reportedly taken several flights on private or military aircraft, including a $12,000 charter flight from Las Vegas to his hometown in Montana, and private flights between St. Croix and St. Thomas in U.S. Virgin Islands that coincided with political appearances.

Betsy DeVos

• Betsy DeVos received U.S. Marshal’s protection as Secretary of Education, even though cabinet members typically rely on their own agencies for security.
• DeVos’ U.S. Marshals protection from February through September 2017 cost $5.28 million, and she plans to retain their service for her full tenure.

Ben Carson

• Carson, in consultation with his wife, purchased a $31,000 custom mahogany dining set for his office. The House Oversight Committee has announced that it is looking into the spending that went into the redecoration of Carson’s office.