Melania Trump’s $21 Million Security Cost Unpaid, But Feds Refund Taxpayers $26M For POTUS Trump Tower Expense

Taxpayers made a big stink when First Lady Melania Trump delayed her move to the White House for 145 days after President Donald Trump was inaugurated, choosing instead to remain at Trump Tower, as reported by the Inquisitr. Melania’s delay caused Change.org petitions to be launched and signed by more than 500,000 people, and caused NBC New York to estimate that the costs to guard President Trump, his brood, and Trump Tower anywhere from $24 million to $35 million during the months between Election Day and Inauguration Day, therefore Police Commissioner James P. O’Neill requested monies returned via New York’s congressional delegation. Huffington Post writer Tony Posnanski estimated that Melania cost the city up to $24 million due to staying in Trump Tower, instead of moving to the White House on January 20. Tony noted that such an amount could’ve fed homeless veterans for a whole year.

Now, according to the Daily Mail, New York taxpayers are at least getting some of those monies reimbursed. The $26.9 million associated with costs to guard President Trump and his Trump Tower between Election Day and Inauguration Day is being reimbursed. The initial portion of the bill has been settled, with the New York Police Department pegging the cost of guarding President Trump when he’s in the Big Apple at $308,000 each day. The announcement about the grants was made by Congresswoman Nita Lowey on Wednesday when she explained that the refunds will cover the expenses that security for the Trumps required between Election Day and Inauguration Day.

The breakdown of the $26.9 million will be disbursed with $18.9 million going to the New York Police Department while the remaining $7 million will go to the Suffolk County Police Department. Mayor Bill de Blasio of New York declared that taxpayers in New York are receiving a portion of the monies they are owed – however, that settlement figure doesn’t include the monies spent by the New York Police Department when they guarded Trump Tower as Melania stayed there for 145 days, waiting for Barron Trump to finish out his school year. With the police department spending upwards of $146,000 per day to guard the Manhattan skyscraper when Melania and Barron stayed there, it’s not clear when the rest of the monies will be paid to taxpayers – if ever. When President Trump comes back to Trump Tower, the cost of guarding the First Family and president goes up, estimated at $308,000 per day.

[Featured Image by Evan Vucci/AP Images]