Are they over paid?????

How much do the president of the United States and other federal government officials get paid in salary and fringe benefits?

Answer:

Most candidates don't seek high elected or appointed government posts with the sole intention of becoming rich from the earnings they receive from the U.S. federal government. While compensation for such offices as the U.S. president and others is very generous when compared with the average American's salary, most of these men and women would likely make more money in the private sector and often do.

For example, George W. Bush and Al Gore, the leading candidates in this year's presidential election are both very wealthy. Gore, as the current serving vice president, enjoys an annual salary of $181,400 ($175,000 prior to 2000), an expense account of $10,000, plus free housing. He has a net worth of at least $870,000, but made much of his money from 1993 to 1997, earning $1,186,261 in royalties for his best seller, "Earth in the Balance," according to Fortune magazine. Bush has had even more success in his business dealings. In 1989, Bush invested $600,000 to become part owner of the Texas Rangers major league baseball team. When the team was sold in 1998, Bush earned at least $14.9 million from the deal, according to CNN. As the governor of Texas, Bush earns $115,345 annually.

As president, Bill Clinton makes $200,000 and gets additional money in various expense accounts. However, in September 1999, President Clinton signed legislation that will increase the presidential salary to $400,000, effective January 2001. The Constitution prohibits pay raises for sitting presidents. This presidential pay raise will be the first since 1969, when the president's salary was raised from $100,000 to $200,000. Adjusted for inflation, $200,000 in 1969 would be worth $930,232 today. On top of the salary and expense accounts, the U.S. president is given free housing with plenty of amenities. The White House has 132 rooms, 32 bathrooms, including a movie theater, bowling alley, billiards room, tennis court, jogging track and putting greens for entertainment. He also has use of Camp David, the presidential retreat.

Congress receives frequent pay raises. In the last 17 years, pay for the average member of Congress has more than doubled, from $69,800 in 1983 to $141,300 in 2000. However, if you were to adjust their 1983 salaries for inflation, members of Congress would make $119,708 in 2000. The president pro tempore of the Senate and the majority and minority leaders of both houses are paid $156,900. The speaker of the House of Representatives makes $181,400. These salaries include the $4,600 pay raise that members of Congress voted themselves in 1999. This year, lawmakers are again pushing to increase their salaries, seeking a $4,200 pay raise that would bump their salary up to $145,500, effective January 2001. To get a better idea about how much money that involves, multiply $4,200 by 535, which is how many members of Congress there are, and you will get $2,247,000. Currently the total pay for all members of Congress is about $75 million.

Here's a list of some federal employees and their current salaries as of August 2000. (The president will receive a $200,000 raise in January):

Executive Branch
President: $200,000; $50,000 expense account; $100,000 nontaxable for travel; $19,000 official entertainment account; free housing
Retired president: $150,000 pension; plus $150,000 to maintain staff
Former first lady: $20,000
Vice president: $181,400; $10,000 expense account; free housing
Presidential Cabinet member (i.e. secretary of defense, attorney general, etc.): $157,000

Legislative Branch
Speaker of the House of Representatives: $181,400
Senate president pro tempore: 156,900
Senate and House majority and minority leaders: $156,900
Other senators and representatives: $141,300

Judicial Branch
Supreme Court chief justice: $175,400
Supreme Court associate justices: $167,900

considering what the low end people of the country make yes.

LOL for u minimum wage workers out there disgruntled by the 6 figure salaries of these politicians take into account wat these ppl must do to get to these positions. They spend several more years in school than u do taking hard classes. Report It

Just by making it to these positions they condemn themselves to a life of ostrasization and stress. A few hundred thousand dollars isn't that much if u take into account all of that. there are many ppl who make much more and don't have half the downfalls and education these ppl do. Report It

Not to mention politicians prolly work over 60 hours a week if not more. Report It

At least find an article that is current. It is all in line until you get to the senators and representatives. The are HIGHLY overpaid for what they (don't) do, and they get to vote themselves pay raises. Pay raises should be approved by the people in a general election.

what they get paid on paper is chump change they tip their yearly paychecks to the white house male prostitutes..the real money is laundered through war contracts and big biz like haliburton thats where busco has pulled in billions and billions of us dollars ...thank god for those offshore accounts that dont have to pay taxes and have banks to hide all that stash in huh georgie

It's worse than that. Unless you're rich, your chances of getting on the ballot, much less elected to an office, are slim to none. Unless you have millions of dollars to spend, you can't be president. Likewise, you've got a snowball's chance in hell of getting elected to Congress unless you've got money. This country has ceased to be a democracy on all but maybe the lowest local levels (city council, school board, etc)...and even that's questionable. It's now a plutocracy.
And don't forget to factor in the greedy, sensationalist, corporate media in this country, and how they go out of their way to marginalize any and all 3rd party candidates just to ensure that the common citizen has no real choices.

When was the last time the average person made anywhere near that kind of money? Ummm...Never! So yeah politicians are highly over paid and in my opinion do nothing to deserve it! And to think, the American people are making less then half those amounts in a year. I just started back into the work force after a 5 year break to raise my kids and I make $6.50 an hour!!!!! Why don't the politicians help out the people who put them in office instead of lining their own pockets?