Senior members of President Donald Trump’s administration, including Vice President Mike Pence, Cabinet secretaries, their deputies and other top officials will receive raises of about $10,000 per year, The Washington Post reports.
The raises take effect on Jan, 5, during which time the government will remain in a partial shutdown leaving hundreds of thousands of workers without pay. A pay cap on top officials was enacted in 2013, but must be renewed every year. Legislators allowed the freeze to lapse when they failed to pass the bills funding several government agencies, and the cap is set to expire this Saturday. Raises that have accumulated in the intervening years will then be applied to the paychecks issued for top officials next week.
Pence’s pay will increase from $230,700 to $243,500, Cabinet secretaries will be entitled to $210,700, up from $199,700, deputy secretaries would be entitled to $189,600, up from $179,700. Under secretaries, deputy directors and other high-ranking officials also would have their pay affected. The Senior Executives Association, an organization that represents the highest-earning career government officials, estimates that the pay bump will cost taxpayers $300 million over 10 years.
The White House and a spokesperson for the vice president did not respond to requests for comment from the Post.
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