President Joe Biden won’t be receiving any bills from the city of Albuquerque following his recent visit.
A city spokeswoman said the municipal government did pursue payment for Biden’s use of the Ted M. Gallegos Community Center on Thursday afternoon: the standard $1,000 rental fee. But the Democratic National Committee already had covered the tab, city spokeswoman Ava Montoya said in a statement to the Journal before Biden had even finished his two-stop hop into Albuquerque.
“The rest of the President’s short trip is in his official capacity and not campaign related,” Montoya said in an emailed answer to Journal questions.
Albuquerque and Mayor Tim Keller have attracted some attention for billing former President Donald Trump for costs associated with his 2019 stop in Albuquerque.
Trump had spent the night in Albuquerque in September 2019 while in the metro area for a campaign rally in Rio Rancho.
The bill included police coverage, barricades and lost work time.
City Hall was among the buildings that the U.S. Secret Service required to close due to Trump’s overnight stay in Downtown Albuquerque. The city still paid its employees $132,832 for the hours they were locked out, then made it the largest charge in its subsequent bill to Trump
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