The White House Budget

A symbol of American power and a popular subject of disaster movies, the White House holds many secrets... especially financial ones! Between white paint and presidential spending, this building doesn't do things by halves. Discover the (very serious) statistics on the White House budget in this issue.

History and Features of the White House

Construction took eight years, from 1792 to 1800. John Adams, the second President of the United States, moved into the building in 1800. Construction costs amounted to €209,000, which would be equivalent to about €2.5 million today. The total area of ​​the building is 5,100 m², and approximately 2,160 liters of white paint were required for its entire coating. According to an estimate by the American real estate website Zillow, the value of the White House could be estimated at €358.55 million, or around €330 million.

Management, Maintenance, and Personnel

The National Park Service, a federal agency that manages the nation's national parks, monuments, and historic sites, also manages the White House.

This agency employs 20,000 employees and 315,000 volunteers. The staff directly assigned to the White House includes many professionals: political advisors, secretaries, security officers, cooks, gardeners, drivers, communications agents, and others.

Presidential Compensation and Expenses

In 2009, Barack Obama, as President of the United States, received an annual compensation of €405,405.41. His wife, Michelle Obama, had a budget of €1.44 million to improve the interior of the White House. The budget for the maintenance and operation of the building, known as the Executive Residence at the White House, amounted to €12.04 million that same year and included, in particular, the costs of ceremonies organized by the President. The White House Office, which provides direct administrative services to the President, had a budget of €47.3 million. Given the increasing importance of new technologies, these figures are currently rising steadily.

Executive and Office Budgets

In 2009, the various offices under the President's Office had the following budgets:

Office of Economic Advisory Council: €3.71 million.

Office of Policy Development: €3.20 million.

National Security Council: €8.13 million.

Office of Administrative Services: €86.16 million.

Office of Management and Budget: €72.05 million.

In total, the budgets associated with the White House amount to over €234.23 million. More than 40,000 projects were initiated, and approximately $400 billion was spent within two years. This demonstrates how much funding has been mobilized in recent years to ensure the functioning of the executive branch concentrated here.

While millions are invested each year to keep this symbol of democracy running, one question remains: Is the White House a palace of power... or a well-maintained budget hole? This raises questions about the management of positions of power: How much should a state invest, balancing national prestige, security requirements, and administrative functionality, to maintain the image and performance of its highest institution?