How much will President Biden's visit to Austin cost?

AUSTIN (KXAN) — President Joe Biden will visit Austin on Monday, requiring overtime from law enforcement officers and hefty travel costs.

Besides police overtime, the cost of air travel, additional security and military assets will reach into the thousands, according to an Associated Press report that detailed the costs of presidential visits. Military cargo planes will also be used to transport the president's motorcade and security elements for when the president arrives.

When former President Donald Trump visited Austin during his term, it cost local law enforcement approximately $44,159, according to previous coverage by KXAN.

The office of White House counsel Ed Siskel determines how much Biden's campaign needs to pay for any given trip, using the Federal Elections Commission's rules on campaign travel expenses.

KXAN plans to request data about the trip's cost to local law enforcement.

Under current FEC rules, political campaigns cannot spend money on the exceptionally large security issued to a president, which means that a president's security costs are paid for by taxpayers.

However, the FEC is considering a rule change to allow campaign expenditures on security, according to a March 2024 memo.