The high price of impatience: Michelle jets off to Hawaii with the kids for 17 day vacation before the President can leave ... at a cost of $100,000 to the taxpayer

With thousands of families struggling to raise funds for Christmas, you would think the Obamas might manage a little thriftiness.

But last night, Michelle Obama and her two daughters flew to Hawaii for a 17-day holiday - days before the president joins them.



The separate flights will incur costs of more than $100,000 to the taxpayer.

Vacation: The President was scheduled to begin his trip on December 17 - but his family will leave without him. Last year's trip to Hawaii, pictured, was also delayed

Obama has vowed to stay in Washington until Congress passes an extension of the payroll tax cut and will join his family before Christmas.



By not waiting for Congress to reach a decision before jetting off together, the family is inflicting eye-watering costs on the taxpayer.

When Michelle flew to Hawaii alone last year, it cost a staggering $63,000 - without security or staff costs - according to White House Dossier website.

Michelle, 13-year-old Malia and 10-year-old Sasha will leave Washington Friday after giving toys to the Marines Corps’ Toys for Tots programme.



Time apart: Michelle Obama and her daughters, Sasha (right) and Malia, pictured on the family's Christmas card, will have their flights paid for by the taxpayer



Barack Obama previously said to Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid: 'Michelle and the girls are going to have a great time in Hawaii. They don't need me there.' The president's family covers the cost of a private beach front residence in Kailua, Oahu, for the vacation - a ‘Winter White House’ that costs up to $3,500 a day, or $75,000 a month. But the local and federal taxpayers help pay the bill for travel and security. Last year the trip cost more than $1 million , according to the Hawaii Reporter. The move also puts the president at odds with one of his own executive orders that instructed agencies to avoid unnecessary flights, said the site. Republicans, including presidential candidate Mitt Romney, have criticised Mr Obama's holiday plans, which were originally scheduled to begin on December 17 for 17 days. Commitment: Obama will miss the start of the annual holiday to his birthplace in order to fix the budget crisis. It is unknown when he will be able to join the family



Luxury: The family will travel by Air Force One, pictured, which costs $180,000 per hour - or around $1,000,000 for a return trip from Washington to Hawaii

'I just think it's time to have a president whose idea of being 'hands on' doesn't mean getting a better grip on the golf club,' Mr Romney told voters in Iowa.

'I just think it's time to have a president whose idea of being 'hands on' doesn't mean getting a better grip on the golf club' Republican presidential candidate, Mitt Romney



Last year's holiday was similarly delayed, but the Obamas added a few extra days to the end to make up for the inconvenience.

The president, who was raised in Hawaii until he was six, previously announced there were no public events scheduled for the trip.

Senate Majority Whip Dick Durbin said the president didn't want lawmakers to leave town without reaching an agreement on the extension.

'What the president made clear was that the House would leave at its peril, its political peril, and they will face the embarrassment of trying to explain why they're taking the holiday off while working families across America are going to see their taxes increase,' he said, according to Politico.

A job to do: Speaking in Washington on Thursday, President Obama proposed new minimum wage and overtime protections for in-home care workers

President Obama told lawmakers this week they could not leave for family trips until decisions have been reached.

'Congress should not and cannot go on vacation before they have made sure that working families aren't seeing their taxes go up by a thousand dollars,' he said.

A White House official said that the president and the Republicans could 'all spend Christmas here together' if Congress didn't act.

It comes following the President's proposals on Thursday to establish minimum wage and overtime pay for in home care workers.

Obama, speaking at the White House, said the workers are often paid less than the minimum wage, even when working 70 hours a week.

'That’s just wrong,' he said. 'They deserve to be treated fairly. They deserve to be paid fairly for a service that many older Americans couldn’t live without.'