The Former Presidents Act of 1958 provides several benefits and perks that are available to presidents after they leave office. The biggest personal benefit that former presidents are entitled to is an annual pension equal to the pay for a Cabinet Secretary, which is $221,400 in 2021. Widows of former Presidents are eligible for a $20,000 yearly pension. In addition former Presidents and their spouses can opt to receive lifetime Secret Service protection.
Below is an overview of the of the additional benefits for former presidents (a more detailed analysis is available in NTUF's November 2020 issue brief, Congress Should Roll Back Perks to Ex-Presidents Costing Taxpayers $4 Million Annually):
Office Space and Staffing Allowances: Starting six months after a President leaves office, the General Services Administration (GSA) provides funding to establish, furnish, and staff an official office anywhere in the U. S.
Travel Expenses: Chief Executives and up to two staff members are reimbursed for up to $1 million in costs annually. Spouses of former Presidents also are eligible for up to $500,000 per year for security and official travel.
Health Benefits: Provided that they had been enrolled in the Federal Employees Health Benefits program for at least five years, former Presidents are eligible for health annuities, similar to all federal employees. (Jimmy Carter is ineligible because he only served a single term and did not hold another federal position.)
Funerals: Presidents are guaranteed a ceremony with full honors and the option to be buried at Arlington National Cemetery.
Secret Service Protection: Presidents are eligible for lifetime protection. The related costs are classified.
Presidents who are removed from office through the impeachment process are no longer eligible for the pension and benefits provided in the Former Presidents Act.
Lifetime Secret Service protections is provided under a separate law so this benefit would not be impacted by removal from office.
Benefits and Pensions Allowances for Former Presidents: FY 2000 - 2017 (Dollars in Thousands) | ||||
President | Total Allowances Received | # of Years Allowances Received from FY 2000-2017 | Average per Year | Share of Total Outlays |
Gerald Ford | $5,189 | 8 | $649 | 8% |
Jimmy Carter | $10,168 | 18 | $565 | 16% |
Ronald Reagan | $4,190 | 6 | $698 | 6% |
George H. | $15,172 | 18 | $843 | 23% |
William Clinton | $19,146 | 17 | $1,126 | 30% |
George W. Bush | $10,493 | 9 | $1,166 | 16% |
Barack H. Obama | $370 | 1 | $370 | 1% |
Total | $64,728 |
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FY 2017 Allowances for Former Presidents (Dollars in Thousands) | |||||
Jimmy Carter | George H. | William Clinton | George W. Bush | Barack H. Obama | |
Personnel Compensation | $0 | $96 | $96 | $96 | $29 |
Personnel Benefits | $0 | $82 | $98 | $98 | $38 |
Pension | $210 |
$210 | $226 | $220 | $161 |
Travel | $0 | $78 | $0 | $18 | $3 |
Office Space | $113 | $254 | $511 | $472 | $84 |
Communications | $21 | $50 | $1 | $140 | $11 |
Printing | $7 | $9 | $22 | $40 | $6 |
Other Services | $91 | $67 | $44 | $14 | $20 |
Supplies and Materials | $3 | $4 | $12 | $20 | $3 |
Equipment | $0 | $18 | $35 | $20 | $15 |
Total | $444 | $868 | $1,045 | $1,138 | $370 |
FY 2016 Allowances for Former Presidents (Dollars in Thousands) | ||||
Jimmy Carter | George H. | William Clinton | George W. Bush | |
Personnel Compensation | $0 | $96 | $96 | $96 |
Personnel Benefits | $0 | $65 | $119 | $90 |
Pension | $207 | $207 | $221 | $217 |
Travel | $0 | $72 | $0 | $8 |
Office Space | $112 | $205 | $444 | $440 |
Communications | $15 | $57 | $13 | $64 |
Printing | $7 | $8 | $17 | $14 |
Other Services | $94 | $73 | $26 | $43 |
Supplies and Materials | $2 | $13 | $7 | $35 |
Equipment | $0 | $22 | $26 | $40 |
Total | $437 | $818 | $969 | $1,047 |
FY 2015 Allowances for Former Presidents (Dollars in Thousands) | ||||
Jimmy Carter | George H. | William Clinton | George W. Bush | |
Personnel Compensation | $0 | $96 | $96 | $96 |
Personnel Benefits | $0 | $65 | $119 | $102 |
Pension | $205 | $205 | $218 | $214 |
Travel | $0 | $56 | $0 | $10 |
Office Space | $112 | $207 | $429 | $434 |
Communications | $15 | $60 | $11 | $80 |
Printing | $1 | $10 | $9 | $20 |
Other Services | $96 | $62 | $31 | $64 |
Supplies and Materials | $1 | $10 | $3 | $28 |
Equipment | $0 | $23 | $8 | $50 |
Total | $430 | $794 | $924 | $1,098 |
Data Sources: U.
S. General Services Administration and Congressional Research Service.
NTUF Archive
2017
2016
Pensions and Perks for Former Presidents
2013
The Perks of Being a Former President
Spending Spotlight: Benefits for Former Presidents
By Robert Morello Updated June 28, 2018
Only 44 individuals have served as president of the United States since George Washington was elected the first in 1789. Today, upon retirement, each of these leaders receives a pension from the federal government along with Secret Service protection for himself and his family and a host of other benefits.
If you think the President's perks end when leaving office, think again.
Each former president receives the same salary as a current member of the Presidential Cabinet. For 2017, the amount was $207,800 per year. This number does not take into account the extras the former leader is entitled to including payroll for office staff and free postage for life. The former president is granted a host of benefits that often add up to more than the pension payment itself. For example, ex-presidents are allowed office space and communications systems paid for by taxpayers. Fiscal year 2018 budget requests for the former presidents include $536,000 for office space for former President Barack Obama and $68,000 for travel for George H.W. Bush.
Should the former president be survived by a spouse, the spouse is granted a pension of $20,000 for life, as well as a free postage benefit.
On top of all these pension payments and benefits come the expenses involved with the personal protection of each former president and his family. In total the amount spent on a former president can reach into the millions of dollars per year. In 2015, former president Jimmy Carter accounted for over $200,000 in additional costs while expenses for George W. Bush reached $800,000. Budget requests for former President Bill Clinton, George W. Bush and Obama in 2018 exceed $1 million each, including pension costs.
In addition to earning a pension, the former president is free to publish memoirs, join corporate boards and give speeches for payment to audiences around the world. The potential earnings for such activities is nearly without limit. Clinton went on to earn over $65 million in speaking fees alone after his presidency and another $15 million for his published memoirs.
Ex-presidents did not earn pensions until 1958 when Congress put in place the Former Presidents Act, providing the benefits today's leaders now receive.
Before this Act was passed, ex-presidents were given nothing after leaving office, and the results were evident. For example, Thomas Jefferson sold his personal library to create the basis for the Library of Congress and James Monroe was destitute when he died.
References
Writer Bio
Robert Morello has an extensive travel, marketing and business background. He graduated with a Bachelor of Arts from Columbia University in 2002 and has worked in travel as a guide, corporate senior marketing and product manager and travel consultant/expert. Morello is a professional writer and adjunct professor of travel and tourism.
February 29, 2012, 07:51
In accordance with Russian law, a number of legal, social and other guarantees are established for the president of the country who has ceased to exercise his powers.
After the resignation of Russia's first president, Boris Yeltsin, Acting Head of State Vladimir Putin signed a decree dated December 31, 1999 "On Guarantees to the President of the Russian Federation, who has ceased to exercise his powers, and to members of his family." On February 12, 2001, Russian President Vladimir Putin signed the Federal Law of the same name, clarifying Decree 1999 years. In July 2007 and December 2010, the law was amended.
The law establishes guarantees for the head of state who has terminated the exercise of his powers due to the expiration of his term of office, or ahead of schedule in the event of resignation or persistent inability to perform his duties due to health reasons.
In addition, the law provides guarantees to members of the family of the ex-president.
In accordance with the law, the ex-president of the Russian Federation receives at the state expense the right to the protection of the FSO in the places of his permanent or temporary stay, special communications, transport services. To continue active work, the law allocates to him an apparatus of assistants with a specially equipped office space. The former president is left with special clinics and hospitals, state life and health insurance at the expense of the federal budget. One of the state dachas is given to him for life use. The former head of state receives 75% monthly until the end of his life. President's monthly salary. nine0003
The payment of the allowance is suspended if the ex-president again takes a public position in the Russian Federation / prime minister, governor, civil servant, etc. /.
The President of the Russian Federation, who has terminated the exercise of his powers, has immunity.
He cannot be brought to criminal and administrative responsibility for the acts that he committed during his presidency. He cannot be detained, arrested, subjected to a search, interrogation or body search. The exception is serious crimes during the period of execution of presidential powers, if a criminal case has been initiated on the fact of committing such crimes. If a criminal case is initiated against the former president, the chairman of the Investigative Committee sends a submission to the State Duma. If the State Duma agrees to deprive the ex-president of immunity, then the resolution is sent to the Federation Council, which considers the issue of deprivation of immunity within three months, adopts the resolution and notifies the chairman of the Investigative Committee about it. nine0003
The inviolability of a president who has ceased to exercise his powers extends to residential and office premises occupied by him, vehicles, communications, personal documents, luggage, and correspondence.
During the lifetime of the ex-head of state, his wife and close relatives can live in the state dacha, they are provided with security, the same medical care remains that they used before. After his death, family members are assigned a monthly allowance equal to 6 times the minimum old-age pension established by federal law on the day of his death. Relatives continue to use official vehicles and the right to medical care for five years from the date of death of the head of the family. nine0003
Ex-President of the USSR Mikhail Gorbachev, who is not covered by this law on guarantees, receives a pension as an ordinary civil servant.
The first president of Russia, Boris Yeltsin, settled in a dacha in Barvikha in 1997, and after his resignation, the dacha was assigned to him for life use. All expenses were covered by the federal budget. The object includes a number of buildings on the territory of 66 hectares. After the death of Boris Yeltsin, the dacha in Barvikha was left to his family.
After 2008, Russia's second president, Vladimir Putin, left behind him the Novo-Ogarevo residence near Moscow, where he settled at the beginning of his presidency in 2000. In Novo-Ogarevo there are buildings for official meetings, a guest house with a cinema hall, a gym, a swimming pool. Putin, as ex-president, has the opportunity to use the three-deck motor ship Rossiya. Armored Mercedes Pullman also remained with him.
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In the US, after leaving the White House, the president loses his presidential immunity. The ex-president enjoys privileges for the rest of his life. He is paid a pension, funds are allocated for the maintenance of assistants, advisers and attendants. For 10 years he has been using the services of security, communications, has benefits when using transport and medical care. Minor children of the retired president also have the right to protection. nine0003
In France, a former president can remain in the public service and become a life member of the Constitutional Council, somewhat similar in function to the Russian Constitutional Court.
Membership of the Constitutional Council gives retired presidents legal immunity on the condition that they renounce political activity and do not seek elected office. In this case, the ex-president's income is 70,000 francs per month (pension plus salary), he is provided with free housing, security and two cars with drivers. nine0003
The President of the Czech Republic receives a pension and an amount for the upkeep of his office (about 3,500 euros in total). Criminal prosecution for crimes committed while in office is not carried out.
In Germany, the former president receives a monthly "honorary allowance" equal to his full salary, currently about 200,000 euros a year. In addition, the ex-president receives a car with a driver, an office and assistants for life. Thus, the total amount allocated from the budget for the maintenance of the former head of state is about 280 thousand euros per year. nine0003
The US military has largely voted for Donald Trump.
Photo by Reuters
Having defeated the Russophobic and very aggressive Hillary Clinton in the fight for the presidency by a fairly significant margin (276 electoral votes, Clinton - 218), Republican Donald Trump repeatedly spoke in support of military personnel and military pensioners during the election campaign. And a significant part of them voted for his election. The presidential election almost coincided with the US national holiday Veterans Day, which has been celebrated annually in America for almost 100 years. “We will also take care of our wonderful veterans who have been so loyal and many of whom I have come to know during these 18 months. It was a great honor for me to spend so much time with them during the campaign. Our veterans are incredible people,” said the newly elected 45th President of the United States Trump in his first speech to supporters and all those who followed the outcome of the vote to the last, on the night of 9November, when the election results became known.
WINNER PRELIMINARY PROMISES
Campaigning Americans for his election, Donald Trump paid great attention to contacts with veterans of the US Armed Forces, whose number, according to the latest data from the US Census Bureau (United States Census Bureau), which is actually America's central federal statistical agency, exceeds 21 million people. And this is a fairly significant part of the electorate, especially since veterans usually take the most active part in voting in all ongoing elections in America and have a certain influence on their results. In previous US presidential elections, about 70% of veterans went to the polls. According to American experts, conducted before the outcome of the election of the new US president, 56% of current and former military personnel intend to vote for Trump and only 36% for Clinton, which actually happened. nine0003
Speaking to veterans, America's now president-elect made many promises to military retirees. First of all, he stated that the maintenance of military spending at the required level should be ensured by eliminating unnecessary links in the bureaucratic apparatus and reducing the cost of maintaining it.
True, Trump did not explain how this could affect the standard of living of veterans. Although, however, it is known that in most cases, the reduction of military budgets in all developed, and even more so in not very developed countries, occurs due to cuts in allocations for the social needs of servicemen and military pensioners, which extremely negatively affects their standard of living. nine0003
Trump's views on the new Post 9/11 GI Bill, effective Aug. 1, 2009, were expressed by Trump's campaign director, Veterans Affairs Director Matthew Miller. He said that Trump and his team will keep all promises made to ex-servicemen and ensure that all regulations set out in the Post 9/11 GI Bill are met. True, Trump himself, in an interview with the CNN news agency in May of this year, said that he did not agree with the provisions of this law in everything, but would do everything possible to return the jobs that had gone beyond America to provide veterans with them. nine0003
Family members of US military and veterans will continue to enjoy all educational benefits for their children.
Trump assured the veterans that he would do everything necessary to ensure that all promises made to them when they entered the military were strictly kept.
According to existing statistics, not all veterans want to continue their education in traditional colleges in order to gain the necessary knowledge to enter the workforce. The leadership of many states in America plans to increase the number of special vocational schools for the training of retired military personnel. However, as Trump believes, in whatever educational institutions former military men receive education, they should be given full guarantees of obtaining quality skills. nine0003
However, as explained by Matthew Miller, US military retirees should be eligible for training in various educational institutions in accordance with the credits they received during their military service, and should receive appropriate diplomas of acquired qualifications that meet all federal requirements.
Earlier this year, experts from the Veterans of Foreign Wars (VFW), a national association of American veterans who served in wars outside the United States, made recommendations to the Department of Veterans Affairs on reforming the healthcare system for retired soldiers.
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In July of this year, Trump's campaign staff developed a plan to reform the activities of the DVA, which included a significant part of the recommendations of the VFW. The plan includes 10 points. Under this plan, Trump intends to appoint a new head of DVA, fire incompetent employees from the ministry, create a 24-hour hotline in the White House that will allow veterans to refuse medical care from DVA and choose private companies for healthcare services. In addition, he plans to increase the number of specialists specializing in psychology and improve the technical equipment of the ministry. nine0003
The new US president intends to take effective measures to reduce the number of suicides among veterans. To this end, he suggests that the relevant agencies of the White House and the Pentagon will cooperate more actively with family members of former soldiers who are inclined to commit suicide. Trump wants to attract the most experienced psychologists dealing with this problem.
More attention from the White House, Trump believes, should be given to the families of military veterans who find themselves in a variety of difficult situations, and above all when one or both breadwinners lose their jobs. At the same time, divorced spouses of veterans should also be properly protected. According to the new head of the White House, care for members of the families of military personnel should express the gratitude of the US government for the sacrifice that life with people performing military duty demanded from them. Trump also plans to open federal programs that will allow the military to start looking for jobs six months before being fired. nine0003
The 45th President of the United States notes that in recent years the mayors of several large American cities have done much to reduce the number of homeless veterans. But this work must be continued, because even "one homeless veteran is already too many." Trump said taking action to improve the mental health of veterans and more proactive job programs would better address many of the housing problems for retired fighters.
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Trump is confident that US military veterans have enormous creative potential, and therefore federal, state and city governments should more actively involve them in administrative and other activities. However, administrations of various levels very often underestimate retirees who have unique experience and knowledge, and do not use their capabilities to the full.
CURRENT BENEFITS FOR VETERANS
The US Department of Defense pays great attention to the provision of pensions for military personnel, regards it as the most important social guarantee for people in uniform, since this factor has a direct impact on the desire of Americans to serve in the armed forces and contributes to the retention of highly qualified specialists in them. nine0003
American military personnel receive the right to dismissal and pensions after 20 years of service in the Armed Forces. Those military who are forced to retire for medical reasons or in connection with an injury are provided with a disability or temporary disability pension.
The Pentagon has several methods for calculating monthly payments to military pensioners. All of them differ from each other only in the accuracy of determining the actual term of service in the army and the reason for resigning. nine0003
In accordance with federal laws, the calculation of pensions is made on the basis of the size of the basic monetary allowance (BDD) of a serviceman at the time of dismissal, without taking into account the official category and allowances due. At retirement, the length of service in the rank of major (lieutenant commander) and lower-ranking military personnel must be at least six months. For lieutenant colonels (commanders) and above, this term cannot be less than three years.
In the current year, the monthly BDD of soldiers and sergeants who have served for more than 20 years ranges from $1,757 to $5,805. Warrant officers with the same length of service receive $5,020.50 to $7,283.10. composition in this case ranges from $3,740 to $14,057.
The pension of any category of military personnel, regardless of the type of aircraft and type of troops, is determined only by the size of the traffic police and length of service. For each type of pension calculation, a coefficient of 2.5% is used, by which the service life is multiplied. This determines the basic amount of the pension that each retiree should receive every month. But in general, all categories of military personnel who retire after 20 years of service receive a pension in the amount of 50% of the basic monetary allowance. With a length of service of 30 years, this figure increases by 25%. After 40 years of service, military pensioners are already entitled to receive 100% of their service salary. And if they suddenly manage to serve more than this period, theoretically they could receive 102.5% of their BDD. True, US federal law has imposed restrictions on this amount. Military pensioners receive their dividends only for a time interval that does not exceed 30 years.
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As already noted, more than 21 million veterans live in the United States. Last year, the federal and state governments as a whole spent more than $167 billion on their maintenance, of which about $76 billion was spent on pensions and various compensations, and more than $65 billion on medical care for veterans.
In addition to pensions, veterans are entitled to a range of benefits. In addition to the severance pay, they and their family members are paid travel to any city in the United States when they are transferred to the reserve or retired. A military pensioner and his family retain the right to free medical care. After being fired for two years, they can receive unemployment benefits. Military pensioners have the right to live free of charge with family members in state-owned houses. For the rest of their lives, they are given the right to purchase goods and products at a significant discount in military stores and to refuel their vehicles at military gas stations, where there is also a system of discounts, the value of which reaches 50%.
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Upon retirement, America's military retirees have the right to work in the civilian sector of the economy with no limit on earnings. If there is a right to receive a pension from other departments, a former soldier can choose it at his own discretion.
Specialists of the RF Ministry of Defense highly appreciate the material support system for US servicemen and soldiers and officers who have served their terms and are trying to use it as a model for building a similar Russian system. But so far, they're not doing well. Military experts note that former military men in America experience practically no material difficulties. “Everything is clear with them,” one of them told the author of these lines. – The leadership of Western countries, and especially Washington, understand very well what role the military plays in their well-being, especially in modern conditions. Therefore, the most favorable conditions are created for them both during the period of service and after its completion.
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