By David Mccormack
President Obama and his family are expected to leave Washington later this week for a 17-day vacation in Hawaii.
This will be the First Family's sixth Christmas in Hawaii since he was elected president, and in keeping with tradition they are expected to spend it on the island of Kailua.
The White House announced on Friday that the Obamas will depart next week after what is expected to be a light work schedule for the president in Washington.
The president and his family traditionally spend their Christmas break in a rented private beach front residence with spectacular ocean views.
The Obama's covers the cost of the accommodation that typically costs up to $3,500 a day, or $75,000 a month, but local and federal taxpayers help pay their travel and security bill which costs in the region of $1 million.
For his first three years in office, the Obamas rented a $24,500-per-week gated Plantation Estate, which offered security and privacy on the white sand beach of Kailua Bay.
Since then the Obamas have rented a few different houses on Kailuana Place, which has provoked different opinions from those who live in the area.
'It's exciting. It's really an honor to have him here, and when he's around – actually the place is super safe because we have all this security around,’ Lanette Hayashi, who lives locally, told Hawaii News Now.
'We go through two security points and so the second one, we have to get out of our car. We have to be searched ourselves, plus our car has to be completely searched,' said a woman called Madeline, who has lived on the street for more than four decades.
When the President visits, the canal running through the Kailuana Street neighborhood is off limits and is patrolled by Navy seals and a Coast Guard cutter is positioned in the bay.
It is one of the many security measures put in place, including military blockades on the beach and security checkpoints along the street where he stays.
'I understand he's the President and so he needs his security, but I'd like for him to pick next year another spot. This would be really nice,' said Madeline. 'At first it was exciting, but now it's no longer exciting. It's maddening.'
Last year, Obama was forced to cut short his vacation and fly back to Washington on the day after Christmas to resume negotiations on an emergency budget deal with Congress.
This year, Congress is on track to approve a two-year budget deal before the Christmas holiday and so he isn't scheduled to return to Washington D.C. until January 5.
No comments:
Post a Comment