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2 Obama vacations cost taxpayers nearly $16 million in flights alone

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The Obama family managed to rack up nearly $16 million in flight expenses for two trips last year.

According to Air Force documents obtained by the government accountability group Judicial Watch via a Freedom of Information Act request, the Obama family vacations to Africa in June and July, and the family’s Christmas vacation to Honolulu, cost taxpayers big bucks.

The Obama’s Africa trip cost $8,104,224 to fly for a total of 35.5 hours to, from, and around Africa at a rate of $228,288 an hour. The family’s Christmas Honolulu trip flights were slightly less expensive costing about $7,781,361 — flying for 36.9 hours at a cost of $210,877 an hour.

The conservative watchdog notes that the Obama’s 2013-2014 vacation to was more than $3 million greater than their Honolulu vacation the year prior.

Judicial Watch’s figures come on the heels of another report this week from the National Taxpayers Union that pinned President Barack Obama as the most internationally traveled president in his first five years.

According to NTU’s tally Obama to date has taken 31 trips for a total of 119 days abroad.

“The costs to taxpayers of President Obama’s travel, especially his luxury vacation travel, are beyond the pale,” Judicial Watch President Tom Fitton said in a statement. “And the secrecy surrounding these costs shows that Obama’s vows of transparency are rubbish.”

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