Happy birthday Michelle from all of US! Taxpayers foot the bill for First Lady's extended Hawaiian vacation... so she can celebrate her 50th in Oprah's Maui home

The first lady remained behind in Hawaii following a 15-day family vacation, and will stay at the 12-bedroom island home of Oprah Winfrey



Mrs Obama will be flown home on a separate aircraft, with tax dollars covering the cost

The White House insists she will be responsible for her own 'personal expenses'

Secret Service protection and dedicated vehicles will add significantly to the price tag of what the president described as an early birthday gift



When President Barack Obama suggested that his wife should spend extra time in paradise as an early birthday present, he was committing U.S. citizens to pay for the gift, whose costs will likely spiral into the hundreds of thousands of dollars.

The White House conceded on Monday that the federal treasury will foot the bill to fly First Lady Michelle Obama back to Washington, D.C. on a separate government aircraft after she finishes her extended vacation at the palatial 12-bedroom Hawaii home of talk show legend Oprah Winfrey.

Dedicated vehicles, Secret Service costs, and security sweeps of the Winfrey estate on Maui will add considerably to the total tab.



A Fox News Channel reporter asked White House Press Secretary Jay Carney on Monday to clarify who would get the bill for Mrs. Obama's travel, and the spinner landed on taxpayers.



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Mrs Obama joined the president for one public event during a 15-day Hawaiian vacation that she extended after the rest of the family returned to Washington, D.C. on Sunday

Hideaway: Mrs Obama will spend her extra time as a guest of Oprah Winfrey at her mansion in Maui Talk TV legend Oprah Winfrey will host the first lady for an unspecified number of days in her giant mansion on Maui, where the neighborhood has already become a chaotic mishmash of SWAT teams and security sweeps

'The first lady stayed behind in Hawaii, and the White House said that was an early birthday present from the president,' noted Fox's Ed Henry.

'Does that mean he's paying for the flight back, or are the taxpayers paying for it?'

Carney read from a prepared statement in his briefing binder: 'As with all personal travel, the first family will appropriately fund personal expenses, Ed.'

'And in line with past presidents and first ladies, the first lady will travel via government aircraft, but you are accurate in your description that this was – her decision to remain in Hawaii – the president's suggestion that she remain in Hawaii to spend time with friends ahead of this very big birthday.'

Michelle Obama will turn 50 years old on January 17.

'If you have kids,' Carney continued, going off-script, 'you know that telling your spouse they can spend a week away from home is a big present.'

'Not that we don't love our kids.'

No FLOTUS sendoff: President Obama took his daughters Malia and Sasha back home without Michelle by his side, and the federal treasury -- not the Obamas -- will pay to bring her back separately

Me time: The president and Sasha and Malia return to the White House without Michelle on Sunday

In addition to the cost of flying a government aircraft from Andrews Air Force Base to Hawaii and back, U.S. taxpayers are on the hook for the cost of Mrs. Obama's Secret Service protection detail – and for any additional security that Winfrey's home and neighborhood might require.

TMZ reported Monday that 'security on the island is airtight, with SWAT teams and just about every other resource securing wide perimeters around Michelle.'



Her extended stay will likely also require the continued use of several government vehicles, including 'secure transportation' whenever the first lady ventures out of the house, according to a former Secret Service officer who spoke on background.

Mrs. Obama likely has a 'standard protection detail,' he told MailOnline, without elaborating on how many agents that would entail or what their services would cost the Department of Homeland Security.

'The flight itself wouldn't be a small passenger jet,' he predicted. 'It would be a larger military aircraft with room in its hold for cars and SUVs, vehicles that otherwise would have come back with the rest of the family.'





The big 5-0, but no high-fashion event: Michelle Obama, seen at the 2013 inaugural ball, will host a scaled-down dance party at the White House for her birthday, instead of a mroe typically grand affair

The president's armored SUV, known in Washington as 'the beast,' however, would never have been left behind.

'That vehicle is for the president – just the president,' the veteran agent said. 'She doesn't get to ride in it unless he's there too.'

The birthday festivities will continue for Mrs. Obama when she returns to Washington: The White House has sent out invitations for a 'Snacks & Sips & Dancing & Dessert' to be held in her honor, but attendees shouldn't expect a fancy dinner.



Guests have been advised 'to eat before you come.'