What do Tom Price, Scott Pruitt, Ryan Zinke, Ben Carson, Donald Trump Jr., Eric Trump, Steve Mnuchin, David Shulkin, and Robert Lighthizer have in common? They work for Donald Trump; and Donald Trump only hires “the best!” Think Progress has a nice little rundown of how much money this motley crew of billionaires and wannabe billionaires have cost the American tax payer in their frivolous spending. Using a cheat sheet, you too can see how comfortable one can get working in the Trump administration.
- Eric Trump took a two day trip to Uruguay to start the new administration, that cost somewhere in the vicinity of $97,830.
- Trump Jr. cost tax payers around $73,000 in a trip to Dubai.
Both Trump kids were not working on government business at the time.
- Secretary of the Interior Ryan Zinke spent all kinds of money on doors, flights, and private helicopters to have lunch, and that cost us all around $165,375.
- The EPA’s environmental catastrophe in chief Scott Pruitt has cost us all at least $210,535 in private flights and soundproof phone booths.
- Hollywood’s Treasury Secretary Steve Mnuchin likes using military planes to go around with his wife to the tune of about $811,797.50 in taxpayer cash. Don’t worry, he’ll just print more!
- Former Health and Human Services Secretary Tom Price comes in at a cool $1,000,000.
- Former VA Secretary David Shulkin and his wife took a sweet vacation to Europe that you paid about $122,000 for.
- U.S. Trade Representative Robert Lighthizer was just recently reported to have spent $917,000 in office renovations. I cannot wait to see his desk chair and the pit with piranhas where he throws his enemies!
- And how can we forget the foggy Ben Carson and his $31,561 dining room set that he ordered but “never” wanted?
Keep in mind, these are all “fiscal conservatives,” so I’m sure that these costs were just essential. Also, this doesn’t account for the costs of Trump’s family across the board, which is something of a nightmare unto itself.
All told, those numbers come to about $3,460,098.50. Think Progress is quick to point out that there are fiscally conservative considerations not found in these tallies.
What’s not included in this total are things like questionable salary expenses. Take Consumer Financial Protection Bureau Director Mick Mulvaney. From his days in Congress, Mulvaney has sought to abolish the CFPB, arguing the agency tasked with protecting taxpayers from predatory financial institutions is a federal boondoggle. During the most recent budget process, he submitted a request for zero dollars for the agency, arguing it was their duty to be “responsible stewards of taxpayer dollars.” Instead, he hired at least eight people to work at the CFPB, half of whom have annual salaries in excess of $250,000, more than $100,000 above the top salary allowed under the federal government pay scale.
And what have you, the American taxpayer, gotten in return? Besides deregulated environmental protections, wonky health and human services, sold off federal lands, no housing, doctor evil in control of the treasury, and two idiot sons? You haven’t gotten much. But the wealthy in our country are already cashing checks worth billions.