Posted on 03/18/2016 10:50:13 AM PDT by afraidfortherepublic
While Americans are suffering in the Obama economy, President Barack Obama is seeking to increase the money available to him after he leaves the White House.
The Congressional Research Service reports that for requests for both 2016 and 2017 fiscal years, Obama's proposed federal budget would expand funding through the Former Presidents Act. In 2017 alone, Obama wants nearly an 18% hike in expenditures $588,000. That means $3.865,000 in appropriations will be available to spend on former Presidents!
The 2016 proposed budget includes an additional $25,000 increase.
The Former Presidents Act, enacted in 1958, provides living former presidents with a pension, office staff and support, funds for travel, Secret Service protection, and mailing privileges. It also provides benefits for presidential spouses. Currently, former presidents are awarded a pension equal to the salary of cabinet secretaries, which totaled $203,700 for the 2015 calendar year and was boosted by $2,000 for the current calendar year.
Critics of the act argue that it financially supports former presidents who are not struggling. Many of them, alternatively, have gone on to profit from writing books about their time in the White House or delivering paid speaking engagements.
Former President Bill Clinton, for example, earned $132 million for delivering paid speeches between February 2001 and March 2015, according to an analysis from CNN. Clinton received $924,000 in taxpayer dollars last year by way of the Former Presidents Act.
Republicans in the House and Senate have introduced legislation that would cap annual pensions for former presidents at $200,000. Additionally, the bills would cut each pension by a dollar for every dollar the former president earns over $400,000 in the private sector in a given year. The measure was approved by the House in January with bipartisan support.
"It's pretty simple. You want a retirement and pension, it's there. But if you're going to go out and make enormous sums of money, then you don't need taxpayer subsidies," Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R., Utah), who introduced the bill in the House, told ABC News in an interview.
"The former presidents are making gobs of money speaking and writing books, more power to them, but that doesnt mean they need more taxpayer dollars on top of that," Chaffetz added. "It's embarrassing that they take that money."
House & Senate will give it to him.
How fast does aids work?
No President’s INCREASE should be more than the annual salary of an American worker, working full-time at minimum wage.
Does the First Muslim want Air Force One, too? /s
Will they do it?
Bwahahahahahahahahahahahahahahaha...(breathe)hahahahahahahahahah(breathe, breathe...Oh God my sides hurt!)hahahahahahaha.
They give him everything he wants and not one penny more all the time.
It cant be: hes the commander in chief and retirees were told there was no inflation so their pay remains this year the same as last year.
He told social security there was no inflation, so their pay remains the same.
+1000!
Doesnt he already get paid one million a year for winning the nobel peace prize?
Want to see a Law slapped down faster than Superman...
How ‘bout we keep the law, and make it ILLEGAL for ex-presidents to get paid for: sitting on boards, making speeches, ‘writing’ books, etc.
Course, Congress being as studip as they are (the rat-fink bastards they MOSTLY are), never put a limit/switch: Oh, you’re making more per speech than this benefit? Then, you don’t need it.
That can’t be a serious question.
I guess it’s good to be king.
I haven’t had a pay raise in over a decade. As a matter of fact, my pay is 40% lower than it was ten years ago. For the same work.
For one who dislikes the American heritage, he surely has no problems spending the dumb barefoot taxpayers’ money.
Congress has been bent over and lubricated for some time now at the sound of Traitorobama's voice.
But the American people will always pat themselves on the back, “How smart was I in 2008 and 2012”, even if they can’t remember the years.
Will they do it?
And Trump will refuse his presidential salary saving taxpayers that money...but some will still vote for the other two dweebs instead of a man who TRULY loved his country. Go figure :(
Leftys with gold plated health care seem to live almost forever (Soros, Castro, Carter, etc).
I don’t want to see A former President destitute.But these monies should be subject to means testing.A former President should get nothing more than his base salary.
Use Means testing on these politicians like they abuse it with the Americans who pay the bills.
Theyve supported almost everything else hes done
so yeah, probably.
Sure Congress will approve it.......Damn the Rats. Why are the folks to good to be on Obama-care like you and me. We ant had a raise in 8 years....now Barry want 20% more to piss away..... WTF
Guessing the Fraud’s worshippers will proclaim that he DESERVES it.
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