The Cost To Taxpayers Of Bernie Sanders' Continued Campaigning

The continued campaigning of Bernie Sanders is costing taxpayers more than $1 million associated with his Secret Service protection, according to a
report on CNBC
.

On June 7, Sanders' "campaign for the Democratic party's nomination effectively ended with a defeat in the California primary at the hands of Hillary Clinton." Almost a month later, the Vermont Senator has not officially dropped out of the race.

According to the then-Secret Service Director Mark Sullivan, in 2008, costs to protect presidential candidates totaled roughly $37,500 a day. He further testified that the cost "could rise to about $44,000 as the campaign 'tempo' increased."

While the Secret Service declined to comment on the current costs to protect presidential candidates, CNBC said, as of July 5, "Sanders has cost taxpayers about $1.1 million since Clinton declared victory on June 7." CNBC assumed $40,000 per day as a conservative estimate for how much it costs to protect a presidential candidate.

Related Link: Whether It's Clinton Or Trump, The Dollar Could Be In Trouble

The report noted that the number could rise to about $1.9 million with the Democratic National Convention scheduled to kick off in Philadelphia on July 25.

While Sanders has inched toward admitting defeat, telling NBC News, "It doesn't appear that I'm going to be the nominee," he has yet to officially concede.

CNBC said the Secret Service was allocated $203.68 million in the 2016 fiscal year for presidential candidate protection, nearly twice the amount designated for presidential candidate protection in 2012.

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Posted In: CNBCNewsPoliticsMediaGeneral2016 presidential electionBernie SandersCNBCMark Sullivanpresidential candidates
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