Presidential Travel: Costs and Accounting for the President's 1998 Trips to Africa, Chile, and China,

Presidential travel to foreign destinations requires planning, coordination, and logistical and personnel support. The estimated incremental costs of President Clintons trips to Africa, Chile, and China were at least 42.8.million, 10.5 million, and 18.8 million, respectively. The largest of these costs consisted of 1 operating expenses of the Presidents aircraft and other military passenger and cargo aircraft 2 travel expenses, including lodging for the travelers and 3 telecommunications, vehicle, and other equipment rentals and procurement in the countries visited. These estimates exclude 1 Secret Service expenses, which are classified 2 regular salaries and benefits of U.S. government civil and military travelers and 3 agency planning expenses that may have been incurred in preparing to travel. The executive branch does not have a single system to account for the cost of presidential travel overseas, and the agencies involved use a variety of means to account for expenses. The Department of State routinely accounts for travel, equipment rental, and other costs to support presidential travel. Other agencies that incurred costs in support of the Africa, Chile, and China trips had records available on their costs as well.