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Tuesday, February 11, 2014

How Much Do State Dinners Cost? They Ain't Cheap

The issue is again raised as President Obama hosts the seventh state dinner of his administration Tuesday for visiting French President Francois Hollande.

Records from the State Department Office of Protocol, whose budget covers state dinners, show they can cost taxpayers in excess of half a million dollars per event.


In response to a Freedom of Information request to which it took the State Department 13 months to respond, CBS News has obtained the Office of Protocol’s expense calculations for the first five state dinners of the Obama presidency.
  1. Nov. 24, 2009 – State dinner for Prime Minister Manmohan Singh of India. $572,187.36
  2. May 19, 2010 – State dinner for President Felipe Calderon of Mexico. $563,479.92
  3. Jan. 19, 2011 – State dinner for President Hu Jintao of China. $412,329.73.
  4. June 7, 2011 – State dinner for Chancellor Angela Merkel of Germany. $215,883.36
  5. Oct. 13, 2011 – State dinner for President Lee Myung-bak of South Korea. $203,053.34
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7 comments:

Anonymous said...

7 Chefs out of a staff of 22 servants --and they cannot do a simple State Dinner?
Beyonce's entertaining price must be pretty steep- these people have got to go

Anonymous said...

I would rather pay for state dinners vs the celebrity parties he throws that cost much more.

Anonymous said...


Each one is cheaper than having Moochie take a weekend away.

I be chillin on food stamps and video games said...

You people who have to work pay for this too...

Anonymous said...

Do as I say; not as I do.

Anonymous said...

Just imagine how much the $1 menu at McDonalds would have saved the taxpayers.

Anonymous said...

State dinners for countries and their leaders that the NSA spied on because they don't trust the country's leaders? Alrighty then, let's throw them a big party! Obama has the largest EBT card of them all.