Update 12/21/12: The Daily Mail piece linked below is actually from 2011, which I did not notice until it was pointed out in the comments below. My apologies. According to the Washington Post, President Obama is traveling to Hawaii today, but it does not mention whether he is traveling with his family or or if they’re traveling separately.

Update: According to this news source the family did travel together. What a surprise.

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The Obama family had planned on traveling to Hawaii for an extended vacation on December 17. President Obama had to stay in town for a few extra days so he could continue turning down any deals offered by Republicans on the fiscal cliff. But that didn’t stop Michelle and the girls from traveling to Hawaii as planned on the 17th. According to The Daily Mail, the cost of the separate travel is a whopping $100K. We the taxpayers are picking up the tab for that.

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.

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. (Read More)

As if this trip wasn’t costing taxpayers enough already.