WASHINGTON, D.C. – U.S. Senator Joni Ernst (R-IA) applauded the U.S. House of Representative’s passage of the Presidential Allowance Modernization Act on Friday. The legislation reforms the system for providing former U.S. presidents certain benefits and perks. On June 21, 2016, H.R. 1777 passed the Senate after being modified to include provisions from Senator Ernst’s companion bill, S. 1411. The Presidential Allowance Modernization Act now heads to the President’s desk.
“With our nation drowning in $19 trillion in debt, we must tighten our belts and find ways to cut wasteful spending,” said Ernst. “The millions in expenditures and subsidies in presidential perks do not line up with the realities of post-presidential life. The Presidential Allowance Modernization Act removes the unnecessary and outdated presidential perks and better reflects the spending needs of our time.”
About Presidential Perks and the Presidential Allowance Modernization Act:
- The Presidential Allowance Modernization Act (S. 1411) was introduced by Senators Joni Ernst, Mark Kirk (R-IL), and Marco Rubio (R-FL) on May 21, 2015.
- Legislation passed the Senate on June 21, 2016.
- H.R. 1777, passed the House on July 8, 2016 and will now be sent to the President to be signed into law.
- According to the Congressional Research Service, post-presidency funding dates back to 1958 when Congress created the Former Presidents Act designed to “maintain the dignity” of former presidents and provide benefits to help cover costs associated with holding the office of the president.
- In fiscal year 2015, former U.S. presidents cost taxpayers more than $2.4 million in travel, office space, communications, personnel, and other expenses.
- The Presidential Allowance Modernization Act would:
- Set former presidents’ monetary allowance and pension at $200,000 each per year.
- Place reductions on perks if the former president earns more than $400,000 per year in income.
- Affirm that nothing in the legislation relates to the funding of the security or protection of a former president.
RUFKM? What we spend to support past presidents is ONE THIRD the cost of just the Benghazi committee. We are building naval vessels that the Pentagon DOESN’T WANT. We are building the F-35 which is so over budget and under-performing that, by all accounts, it’s a waste. $1.35 TRILLION.
Senator Ernst is all fluff without anything between her ears. Geez Luueez. Why did she think this was important?
Are you stupid or what. You have to start somewhere. Everything you are talking about is Obama Administration over spending.
FYI, the “over-spending” for the numerous Benghazi committees is not because of the present administration. It is a Republican cost because there is nothing there they can use but they don’t care. Keep negative ideas in front of the public at all times because that may give the Repubs a chance in the next election. By the way, did you see that only 3 of the emails Ms. Clinton deleted were considered classified? And, according to Director Comey, those emails were incorrectly marked and Ms. Clinton could very well have missed their classification. http://www.factcheck.org/2016/07/revisiting-clinton-and-classified-information/
Big damn deal. They spent 4 or 5 million on the criminal Hittlary. Obama spend more than that on his golf game in a month. Not to mention his excessive travel for nothing.
You ignorant twit.
How about your good buddy George “Dubya” Bush.
“Vacation time that President Obama has taken since the beginning of his presidency stood at 161 days. If you add the 28 days of vacation he has taken this year his total comes to 189 days.
His predecessor, two-term President George W. Bush, took 679 days of vacation, including 77 trips to his Texas ranch.”
Let’s see, just the 77 trips to the Texas ranch using Air Force One is mind-boggling.
But that doesn’t bother you does it you dumbass.
You forgot his queer wife and her trips you dumb ass.
My point is, hundred dollar bills are blowing out an open window and Ms. Joni is interested only in picking up pennies off the floor.
Obama’s already got his perks all lined up and in place. I doubt anything in this act will pertain to him.
All of them, congress included, get way too much for the part-time work they do.
Obama doesn’t need it, he has already traveled the world on our dime and has seen most everything he wanted to see on vacation. maybe its covered more by the media but I never saw a president always gone to some country, he takes family along so it probably isn’t a business trip,
That is the President’s job. And, if the Donald becomes President, you think he will use his own money to fly around the world? He will milk the system for all he can get. And then some. That is his nature.
“His nature”. I’d call it human nature buddy.
Who in their right mind would think that Obama the money spender would limit his spending…lol..lol..lol.
Obama will never sign up to have money he can steal reduced.
I hope a bill limiting pensions for senators and representatives Is next.
It should be. It will be interesting to see if Joni or Chuck will be pushing that through. That will be the real test to see if she really is someone who Iowans can trust.
But, I am not holding my breath.