CREW requests Mike Pence Secret Service holiday ski trip expenses

Amidst recommended travel restrictions during the raging coronavirus pandemic, Vice President Mike Pence reportedly flew to Colorado for a holiday ski trip with 48 Secret Service agents. Taxpayers deserve to know what Secret Service expenses he incurred on this trip that spanned from December 2020 through January 2021.

CREW has requested Secret Service records that lay out the total bill, including but not limited to lodging, food and travel.

The Trump administration has used an inordinate amount of taxpayer dollars on unnecessary travel, especially during the coronavirus. It has been its own hotspot of coronavirus infections with Trump, his adult children and top administration officials flouting coronavirus safety rules and often appearing in public without masks. Ivanka Trump and Jared Kushner have continued to travel amid restrictions, Trump hosted a coronavirus “superspreader” event, and Secretary of State Mike Pompeo hosted a holiday party, after which his wife tested positive for the coronavirus. This has had an alarmingly high cost for the Secret Service, both in monetary and health-related costs. For example, Secret Service receipts for a portion of Ivanka and Jared’s travel indicated at least $33,000 in taxpayer dollars went to their protection, and after Trump’s campaign-related travel, 130 Secret Service agents had to quarantine or tested positive for the coronavirus.

Overall, the Trump family has taken 12 times more trips than the Obamas per year on average, and this has not appeared to slow much even with the rampant spread of the coronavirus. In the final days of their tenure, Trump and his allies like Pence will unfortunately continue to abuse taxpayer dollars for their own purposes and flout coronavirus restrictions, endangering the public and their Secret Service agents. The public, at the very least, deserves to know the full cost.