GOP lawmaker: President, Michelle Obama use Air Force One 'very casually'

Rep. Howard Coble (R-N.C.) on Tuesday called on President Obama and Michelle Obama to be more frugal in their use of Air Force One and said the first couple uses this costly mode of transportation "very casually."

"President Obama and Mrs. Obama, it appears to me ... regard Air Force One very casually, and I believe that on some occasions, at least two planes have been dispatched to the same destination," Coble said on the House floor.

"Air Force One ... belongs to President and Mrs. Obama, but Air Force One also belongs to the American taxpayer," he said. Coble said he would welcome a resolution from the Obamas to use "prudence, discipline, and last but certainly not least, fiscal austerity" when deciding how they fly around the country.

"America's taxpayers will be appreciative," he said.

Coble's complaint comes about a week after Obama flew to Las Vegas to discuss immigration reform, a trip that reportedly cost an estimated $1.6 million. Coble said the use of Air Force One costs about $180,000 an hour, and he said this cost can increase when other planes accompany Air Force One.

Coble also took a swipe at former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton for her controversial remark last week on the U.S. Consulate attack in Benghazi, Libya. In response to a question from Sen. Ron Johnson (R-Wis.) about the deadly assault, Clinton said, "What difference at this point does it make?"

"I submit ... that the survivors of the four Americans who were murdered at that attack would welcome any information, any and all information, surrounding that infamous invasion," Coble said.

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