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White House living large amid small sequester cuts

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    A lavish lifestyle on the taxpayers' dime

  • Duration 9:18
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Hannity is becoming -- -- obvious that the decision to suspend public tours of the White House is in fact a political one.

Now the administration cited the sequester cuts as the reason for the canceled tours saying that it saves 74000.

Dollars a week but as we look closer at the numbers.

And compare them to the actual cost of operating the White House and the proposed cuts to waste and fraud.

Waiting at the president on his desk well it's kind of hard to imagine the tours would be first on the budgetary chopping block.

Thoughts run through the jaw dropping figures to put all of this in perspective for you the cost of running the White House -- -- 74000 dollars a week or 3848000.

Dollars a year.

Now according to the national review.

The current annual cost of operating the White House just -- household expenses.

Is one point four billion dollars a year.

Now another interesting figure which highlights just how.

Out of touch the president really is -- his vacation -- now the first family's excursions are running taxpayers twenty million dollars a year.

Not really shocker considering the present in the First Lady seemed to go separately a lot and -- separately a lot.

No need to save money when it's not their own now conservative estimates put one of the Obama family's Hawaiian vacations -- four million dollars.

And on suggesting the president doesn't deserve a vacation time more that he forgo security that is associated.

-- leisure travels which seemed to be constant but these astronomical numbers are representative.

Of the Obama's lavish an opulent lifestyle.

I shouldn't the president who preaches about collective sacrifice should they be leading by example.

In fact according to the white house budget and oversight committee chair Darrell ice President Obama has ignored.

The advice of his own inspectors general to cut 67 billion dollars in identified waste.

Have a nonpartisan group of auditors found thousands of examples of waste fraud and abuse and the president he's done nothing but ignore them.

So 67 billion in proposed say -- savings is sitting on the president's desk.

He cancels White House tours to kids wanna go see the White House that runs the government's 74000 dollars a week.

Politics has nothing to do with it here with reaction Florida senator Marco Rubio senator welcome back.

Thank you thanks for having me -- -- they've got to make kids in Florida -- wanted to see the White House and now they can't because the president wants to make a point to the country now.

Yeah I think you've outlined it exactly right I'm in the sequestered they're gonna look for the most painful cuts from a political publicity perspective.

In order to drive home the point that this was a bad idea and the reality evidence look at there's going to be some spending reductions here -- there.

But I think people watching this program who have had reductions of 101520%.

In their household budgets some people lost everything I think they'd be shocked to hear a bunch of politicians belly aching over a two to 3% across the board.

Reduction and spending went in the real world people have seen massive reductions in their own home -- -- in their businesses and so forth.

So look I think you're gonna continue this is just the beginning you're gonna continue every single day you're gonna see the best known national parks closed down.

You know -- airports being targeted they're going to try to make this as painful as possible because they're trying to make a political point.

I so it nearly nine fewer people in the labor force we have the highest number of people on food stamps in American history now close to fifty million people.

And we've got a president now that.

-- -- bring in beyoncé and Adele.

To all parties planning his Martha's Vineyard vacation.

He's playing golf with Tiger Woods that golf trip -- Tiger Woods that would have prevented 340 people from being furloughed.

Is -- -- to bring this up about the way the -- is the president to lavish in his travel.

Well I think the president's the singular most visible figure in America and I think you always have to lead by example yeah I think you said adding your introduction.

Everyone understands the president's entitled to vacations we certainly believe he's entitled to security all the security they need and an and so forth given.

The history in this country in the past.

All of those things but I think you have to lead by example I think you know some of the congressional offices here have led by example resemble my office.

When I took office we reduced 10% of our budget our office budget at least 10% a year.

Because we wanted to set that example and so when the sequester hit the congress this year it wasn't nearly as big an impact does -- otherwise would have been but even there we had to cancel travel staff travel for a few weeks.

Just to make sure we came under those figures -- listen none of this is -- and to people back almost had to do this in their own personal lives and think it's critical of the president and others in public office.

-- to the extent they can and should lead by example in that regard.

All right so tomorrow we're gonna get Paul Ryan's budget it's designers to balance our budget -- -- get imbalance in ten years it will defund obamacare it will not increase taxes.

-- similarly -- fighting to defund obamacare in the senate.

-- here in the minority obviously in the senate how does that happen.

Well first of all obamacare is a disaster this is not politics anymore we're talking about the impact it is having on real people's lives.

You were soon gonna start to see people.

Who are gonna get laid off because their boss wants to get under the fifty employee threshold to avoid all the costs that come -- this we're already -- businesses that are moving their workforce the part time.

That's hurting people as well not to mention some of the other hidden costs that are in obamacare that aren't going to be -- much longer so just implementing obamacare is going to be a disaster.

I think we've kind of lost the sight of that here since the Supreme Court ruling last year I'm glad that Ted Cruz -- -- senator from Texas.

He -- filed an amendment to the continuing resolution to defund obamacare what I said is look I don't vote for continuing resolutions.

But -- we can pass that amendment I would be willing to vote for that continuing resolution.

I know that's pie in the sky some people but I'm telling you this -- care bill as it begins to be implemented.

It's gonna cost people their jobs their raises.

-- their hours it's a disaster and implementation and I'm glad to hear the house is taking the lead in their own budget in that regard.

And and that you -- want they don't have to fund it I mean this is the beauty of having at least one house which is in Republican control and a lot of pressure -- to be brought to bear on these guys.

And I think this is a test on the direction that they're gonna go.

Here's what we know the president's oldest of 900 billion dollars latest estimates have at a two point eight trillion so it's -- already in and what the president told us -- this has and we know that over a long period of time it's gonna end six point two.

Trillion dollars to the deficit.

So why don't we go forward with us.

But for -- and that's just the governmental -- a man whose accounting for the jobs that are going to be lost.

People are gonna get lay off people are gonna lose their hours look we have a health insurance problem in America but you don't need a government takeover of health insurance to solve it.

How about letting any American and every American buy insurance from any company that we'll sell it to them -- any state in the country allowing Americans to -- the insurance they need insurance that meets their needs not some government mandate.

Allowing Americans to buy their insurance pretax the way their bosses buy it for them.

These are some innovations that we can think of right now that would improve the quality of access.

To health care we don't need a government takeover of the health care industry in order to offer health insurance to more Americans what do you make -- important.

The president got a big deal about reaching out to Republicans is on his weekly radio address this week and -- Started to be a little more conciliatory.

Just days after -- -- -- Well what are we gonna cut pork shoulder disabled children and and -- claiming that the the C would turn into blood and and past ones would be taken over the land.

So what do you make of that is -- the poll numbers are down ready oversold this that this was a case of jumping the sequester as the Wall Street Journal put it.

Is is this gonna last long especially after Ryan's budget comes out.

Why don't I don't know eyes as he might be shocked to learn that didn't call me before doing that to console what I thought but what a shock -- to study -- suspect.

But a couple things first of all -- I think that's the that's -- -- it's a sincere move in that direction I think it's positive anytime our leaders can talk.

I think people are getting tired of these man made crisis every week here in Washington DC they have enough to worry about their lives the last thing they need is -- politicians.

Creating crisis on the other hand we have a fundamental difference in this country we all agreed that we need to grow our economy.

But the Democrats believe that the way you grow the economy is through more government spending.

And we believe the way you grow the economy through the private sector and that government's job is to make it easier for the private sector to create jobs and set -- Verizon to do that that's a big difference and that's what we should be having a debate about because history and evidence is on our side.

I one last question.

It's senator Rand Paul had as big filibuster you -- part of it last -- -- last week Ted Cruz did Mike Lee did you four guys seem to be like the new guard.

And more conservative advancing ideas more willing to fight that may be some of the old -- what did you think when when John McCain.

Referred to Rand Paul and Ted Cruz is -- birds.

Well look I know the Senator McCain feels very strongly about national defense we all admire his service to our country and I have a good working relationship with a I think we're always best served.

When we don't especially within our own party and our own movement calling each other names.

Let me just say this about the filibuster I stood for the right have a senator like Graham caller anybody out there -- a Democrat I -- -- it -- to have a serious question answered.

Now we have some diversity of opinion about drone programs you know obviously I think you raise a very legitimate.

Issue about how that would be used here in the US he deserved an answer and -- -- got one.

All right thank you senator always good to see it.

Thank you.

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