Carney: Yes, Taxpayers Will Foot the Bill for Obama's Midwest Bus Tour

Taxpayers will be footing the bill when President Barack Obama sets out on a Midwest bus tour to visit some traditionally key swing states later this month, White House press secretary Jay Carney said Wednesday.

In the latest example of tension between Carney and the White House press corps, Carney told reporters the tour will be an official event as opposed to a campaign event and snapped back when reporters questioned whether taxpayers would be paying for it.

"So is it being funded by taxpayers in battleground states?" a reporter from CNSNews asked.

Carney paused for just a moment before saying with an exasperated smile, "He's the president of the United States:"

To a reporter who said the trip is "certainly a visual" but pressed Carney about specifics and whether there was a political nature to the trip, he replied, "The air of cynicism is quite thick. The idea that the president of the United States should not venture forth into the country is ridiculous."

"I didn't say that," the reporter said.

"No, but you implied it in your question," Carney said. "It is absolutely important for the president, whoever that person is, in the past and in the future, to get out and hear from the people in different communities."

The tour, Carney said, will be focused on the economy and jobs, and Obama will be "listening and addressing these very important issues."

The White House has not yet released a schedule of where the tour will be stopping. As CNS News observed, stops are likely to include Ohio, with its 20 electoral votes, which Obama carried after former President George W. Bush won the state in 2000 and 2004. Also potentially worth a visit would be Indiana, which Obama narrowly carried after the state had always typically voted Republican, and Michigan, a traditional Democratic stronghold but facing high unemployment.

According to CNS, Federal Election Commission guidelines for presidents running for reelection are for the campaign to reimburse the government for any travel expenses incurred related to campaigning.