Loudoun County officials tire of dedicating resources to protecting Trump during golf excursions
Officials and residents in Loudoun County, Virginia, are raising concerns about the financial burden of providing security for President Donald Trump during his golf outings at Trump National Golf Course. During a recent county supervisors’ meeting, Supervisor Juli Briskman questioned whether the sheriff’s office receives reimbursement for the resources allocated during these visits. Lt. Col. Christopher Sawyer confirmed that they do not receive any reimbursement and emphasized the significant costs involved. Local residents, such as Mara Moreland, have experienced disruptions due to security measures, including being denied access to their homes.
County Vice Chairman Michael Turner questioned whether there’s a legal obligation for local law enforcement to provide this security. Sawyer explained that while they fulfill requests from the U.S. Secret Service, there are limitations to what they can provide. Briskman called for a detailed report on the expenses incurred from Trump’s visits, suggesting that campaign events should be funded by the campaign itself rather than taxpayers.This issue of reimbursement for security related to presidential visits has been a longstanding concern among municipalities, as seen in another case involving former president Joe Biden, where campaigns also failed to pay outstanding invoices for security costs.
Loudoun County officials tire of dedicating resources to protecting Trump during golf excursions without reimbursement
Officials and residents in Loudoun County, Virginia, are questioning how much President Donald Trump’s visits to his golf club in the area are costing them.
During the county supervisors’ meeting earlier this month, Supervisor Juli Briskman asked whether the Loudoun County sheriff’s office is reimbursed for services provided to the president when he visits Trump National Golf Course in Lowes Island.
“The short answer is no, we are not being reimbursed for that,” Lt. Col. Christopher Sawyer said. “We have asked, in writing, and we will continue to ask, because the resources are significant.”
One resident, Mara Moreland, who lives in the Lowes Island community near the golf course, said her neighborhood has been shut down four times since January. She noted the shutdowns have prevented her and others from entering or leaving their homes.
“It doesn’t matter who we voted for. We just want to be able to access our house,” Moreland said.
She claimed she had been denied access to her street despite showing identification with her address to law enforcement.
“I tried to show them my ID. I tried to tell them that I live here,” she said. “They basically said to me, ‘Nobody in, nobody out.’”
Vice Chairman Michael Turner asked if there was a “legal obligation that local law enforcement” needs to provide security to the president’s golf games.
Sawyer responded, “We have provided presidential support to every sitting president, based on what the United States Secret Service has requested. That does not mean they get everything, because there hits a point where we say, no, we can’t provide certain levels because it becomes too much.”
“So, the taxpayers in Loudoun County are paying taxes so the president of the United States can play golf, and we’re not being reimbursed for that cost?” Turner asked.
“As of right now, we have been told that there is no funding mechanism to be able to be reimbursed, but we continue to ask that question,” Sawyer said. “Our overtime budget is not designed to support this.”
Briskman, who lives near the golf course, said she requested a detailed report about how much the county has spent on Trump’s recent visits.
“With everything going on with quote-unquote ‘waste, fraud, and abuse,’ I decided that we should figure out how much this is costing the county,” Briskman said.
She also questioned the nature of the events that prompt the visits.
“If it’s a campaign event, then your campaign should be funding the security,” she said. “If it’s an official White House presidential event, then I can understand spending taxpayer dollars on it, but in a transparent way.”
Local municipalities have long sought reimbursements for using their police and fire resources to provide security to presidents and presidential candidates. During the 2024 election, the mayor of Green Bay, Wisconsin, said neither former President Joe Biden nor Trump’s campaigns had paid nearly $64,000 worth of invoices to the city since 2016.
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“There are very real costs associated with the public safety resources these events require, and it is crucial that the financial responsibilities associated with these services are borne by the campaigns, not our taxpayers,” Mayor Eric Genrich said.
After Genrich’s statement, a Biden spokesperson said the campaign had paid its outstanding balances.
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