tag:typepad.com,2003:weblog-94161205314098957 2013-11-29T11:58:53-05:00 Original reporting on little-known U.S. government funded foreign aid projects, so-called "drug war" initiatives, and overseas business subsidies. TypePad tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834515b9569e2019b01d898eb970c 2013-11-29T11:58:53-05:00 2013-11-29T11:58:53-05:00

Supporters of Barack Obama tout his dedication to the responsibilities of the presidency by noting that he had taken 96 days of vacation at the point in his term that President George W. Bush had taken a reported 335. But they admit that 51 of Bush’s trips were to his Texas ranch, while records show that Obama’s destinations have ranged from exotic European and African locales to pricey digs to Hawaii, where he’s sometimes traveled separately from his family, effectively doubling transportation costs for taxpayers.

Steve Peacock tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834515b9569e2017ee9e56ec3970d 2013-04-01T09:26:02-04:00 2013-04-01T17:43:24-04:00

Over a month ago U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor broke the story on U.S. Vice President Joe Biden's pricey trip to Paris, during which time taxpayers shelled out $585,000 and $322,000, respectively, for hotel room and limos. CNN this past week reported on the trip -- using the same documents that the Monitor had discovered via painstaking database research -- and tooted its own horn on international TV as if that were its own discovery.

Steve Peacock tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834515b9569e2017c370d8e4a970b 2013-02-23T14:06:49-05:00 2013-11-23T10:23:15-05:00

The U.S. Department of State spent $585,000 on hotel rooms and racked up $322,000 in transportation costs on for Vice President Joe Biden's recent trip to Paris, according to contracting documents that U.S. Trade & Aid Monitor located through routine database research.

Steve Peacock tag:typepad.com,2003:post-6a00d834515b9569e20168ea63bb9c970c 2012-04-19T09:18:26-04:00 2012-04-20T12:12:29-04:00

The U.S. Embassy in Paris is building a new residential facility to house a dozen diplomatic staff members -- and the project will cost taxpayers up to $25 million to design and build.

Steve Peacock