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Well, hey, you guys, so the election, it's coming up.And one thing that I always find fascinating is that when I can see numbers, like when it comes to finances behind the scenes and politics, I always find that fascinating.
And listen, I kind of like to poke fun at all sides of the political spectrum.But let's face it, Democrats and Republicans Both have struggled to make smart financial decisions throughout history.
So today I thought it'd be fun to share some of the wild money facts from Washington.By the way, you have to stick around and let me know which White House salary shocked you the most.
And if you enjoy this kind of content, make sure to hit the subscribe button so you can get every new episode. All right, let's go to the White House renovation budget.Every president gets to make changes and renovations when they move in.
So Trump spent approximately $1.75 million on his reno.Obama was at about $1.5 million.But Truman holds the record for—are you ready for this?For today's dollars, it would have been $11 million.That's crazy. It's crazy.
And not all of the budget goes towards private living quarters for the president and his family.Some of this is updated, you know, when it comes to corporate wings where staffers work and that kind of thing.
So, overall, when they look at the Reno budget, I mean, fascinating.And how fun, right?Just to get a couple mil, you get to go. Renovate some stuff?Sure, why not?All right, let's look at the government's official's salary.
And this is of January of 2024 where these stats come from, okay?So the president makes $400,000 a year.And what's interesting is that that has been the same salary for over 20 years.The vice president makes $235,000.
Not bad, but you know who makes more than the vice president? the Chief Justice of the Supreme Court.They make $312,000.And the vice president's salary was under a pay freeze since 2014, but was increased by Congress this year.
Now, all of that is adjusted annually as the ceiling on salaries of certain federal employees continue to rise. Very interesting.Now, when you think about traveling, Air Force One comes to mind.
So, what's interesting is in 2020, the flight costs of that year for Air Force One was $176,393.And according to this article, that included the fuel, flight food and drinks, and aircraft and engine overhaul.
what's considered quote-unquote official duty for the president to represent the United States in global relations by traveling abroad.And other than Trump, every president since Reagan has spent at least 100 days on official visits abroad.
And Clinton holds the record for more than 200 days on official duty abroad.So, of course, when the president goes, Air Force One goes, and it costs money.But when you look at Air Force One and they're traveling abroad,
Those are the costs, which I'll be honest, y'all, $176,000 was less than what I would have guessed if I was a betting gal.But I mean, hey, let's budget our way to freedom.So that's great.
All right, let's look at some campaign costs when it comes into these elections.In 2020, almost $14 billion was spent on federal election campaigns.
And this is more than double than what was spent in 2016, making 2020 the most expensive campaign in U.S.history.
Now, all campaign costs, including for positions in the House and the Senate, have risen consistently since 1990, and recent studies are showing that that is a growing concern among majority of Americans.So,
Again, most of us are looking at campaign costs, and we're like, holy crap, that's a lot of money.All right, let's look at the staff when it comes around the president and Washington, D.C., and their salaries.
So, Secret Service is paid between $53,000 and $142,000, depending on your experience. The First Lady's Social Media Manager makes approximately $113,000.All right, that's pretty fun.
And the White House Sign Language Interpreter makes about $109,000 a year.And the White House Director of Gifts makes about $71,000 a year. I mean, y'all, it's so funny, all of the different positions.I do love reading about D.C.
or how the White House is run, the East Wing, the West Wing, all of it.But you do see how much staff goes into the president and his life.I mean, it's just wild.All right, let's look at the numbers in Washington around the debt. Boo.So here we go.
Biden increased the debt by $4.7 trillion.Trump increased the debt by $8.2 trillion, which was an increase of about 40%.Abraham Lincoln's presidency saw the largest increase of national debt with about 2,859% of an increase. It's a lot, y'all.
So yeah, the national debt, it's on the rise, and every president seems to be dipping more and more into it.And listen, you guys, here's one thing that is for sure, is that everyone, especially Congress, needs a budget, right?
Being in control of our money is so key, even to our country. Now, for you, what that means for you is that your income is being planned out, and that is so, so key.So, if you have not checked out EveryDollar, this is our budgeting app.
Make sure to click the link below and get started for free, because I think everyone, even in D.C., should be doing EveryDollar.Getting in the habit of budgeting is so good.
All right, if you enjoyed this content, you should definitely check out my episode where I'm reacting to an NFL player's paycheck.That's next.And share this episode with a friend who loves a good political money stat.
All right, you guys, remember to take control of your money and create a life you love.
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