Thelma Rogers from Minden wrote in asking who pays for the cost of Air Force One when President Obama uses it for campaigning?
I did some research on this and found out it depends whether the trip is considered official White House business or a campaign event. The President's first two visits to Reno this year were considered official business so the taxpayers foot the bill for those. Tuesday's visit was a campaign stop as well as the President's visit in las vegas, so the campaign must reimburse the White House for those costs.
If you're wondering about the costs, they are pretty staggering. The U-S military says it costs about $180,000 an hour to operate Air Force One. That's for fuel, and all the maintenance involved, so it is not a cheap way to get around.
But rest assured if the president is campaigning, tax payers are not footing the bill for that.
