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The Executive Office of the President employs 1800 tax-paid individuals, some 584 work in the WH.
forbes.com——First Ladies payroll of White House-staff in the first year. (OPENTHEBOOKS.COM)
Dr. Jill Biden supposedly has 12 staffers including press, communication, and advance trip directors; media coordinators and schedulers. There are senior advisors, and even a couple of social secretaries. Five of the employees also serve the president in some capacity. In 2009, former First Lady Michelle Obama faced criticism for her twenty-four assistants, advisors, aides, and social secretaries. Laura Bush had a staff of eighteen. In 2017, Melania Trump, in her first year, had a staff of five employees.
These 12 White House employees serving First Lady Dr. Jill Biden (five also serve the president in some capacity) cost taxpayers $1.35 million and include:
Julissa Reynoso Pantaleon, Chief of Staff to the First Lady
and White House Gender Policy co-chair ($180,000);
Elizabeth Alexander, Director of Communications for the First Lady ($155,000);
Carlos Elizondo, Social Secretary ($155,000)
Deputy Social Secretary, Liz Hart ($80,000)
Press Secretary, Michael LaRosa, $100,000
Special Initiative Czars——Starting in 2009, President Obama came under fire for hiring special initiative czars. From 2017-2020, we found no evidence of “czars” on Trump’s payroll. However, Biden has czar(ed) up – naming at least 21 czars to date, with plans to fill 55 positions. These include: National Climate Advisor Regina McCarthy ($180,000) and a Special Envoy for Climate, John Kerry – who is listed in press accounts, but doesn’t appear in the payroll data. Others include Jeff Zients ($36,000), the COVID-19 czar. Critics at Politico have already questioned, “How many czars does the Biden administration need?”
Starting in 2015, President Obama instituted a new fellowship – a White House Leadership Development program with an initial class of sixteen. During the Trump years, the program was dormant. On June 4th, Biden appointed 22 members to the fellowship program. None of these appear in the payroll disclosure.
Like most presidents, Joe Biden doesn’t donate his salary. Donald Trump was the first since John F. Kennedy to donate his pre-tax quarterly salary to government agencies. Following tradition, Dr. Jill Biden isn’t paid as First Lady. However, she is the 1st First Lady to maintain an outside income – her government salary as a community college professor at Northern Virginia Community College.