President Donald Trump wants to cut the pay of TVA’s chief executive, who Trump said “is paid a lot of money” to run agency that “when we want them to do something for us they are not there for us.”
During a news conference at the White House on Wednesday night, Trump questioned the $8.12 million compensation package give to TVA President Jeff Lyash, a former Ontario Power Co. CEO who was hired to head the nations biggest government utility a year ago.
Trump said he wants to “reduce by a lot” the executive pay for Lyash, who is the the highest paid federal employee in America, as part of an infrastructure package being negotiated to spur the U.S. economy.
“I don’t know the gentleman, but he’s got a heck of a job,” Trump said about Lyash when asked about proposals to require TVA to cut executive pay. “He gets paid a lot of money, which is an amazing thing.”
(READ MORE: TVA pays record amounts to top executives; CEO compensation worth over $8 million)