WASHINGTON – Taxpayer dollars for office space and other expenses incurred by ex-presidents who earn lucrative speaking fees would be limited under a bill approved Monday by the House.
The bill, approved on a voice vote, is aimed at former presidents such as Bill Clinton and George W. Bush who earn millions of dollars through speeches, book deals or other income.
U.S. taxpayers paid a total of $3.5 million in 2014 in pensions and benefits to the four living former presidents, including $1.3 million for Bush and $950,000 for Clinton, according to a report by the Congressional Research Service. Most of that money was for sprawling office space for Bush in Dallas and Clinton in New York.
Clinton earned more than $100 million for speeches between 2001 and 2013, while Bush has earned at least $15 million since leaving office in 2009, according to a report by the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee.
The House bill would set presidential pensions at $200,000 a year, nearly the same as the current amount, with an additional $200,000 set aside for office space and other expenses. The bill would reduce expense payments by $1 for every dollar above $400,000 earned by a former president.