Diogenes
Nemo me impune lacessit
Kamala Harris stands to boost her federal pension more than 12-fold with a White House win. She has already qualified for about $18,800 annually for her years as vice president and senator.
No matter what happens on Nov. 5, the candidates and their running mates can take some consolation in their pensions: They are all on track for a guaranteed taxpayer-funded income for life—in addition to other perks.
In fact, when President Biden hands the keys to Air Force One to Kamala, he will start earning more from his pensions than he did in the Oval Office.
The leader of the free world didn’t get any pension until 1958, after Harry Truman complained to Congress that his ex-presidential expenses, including answering mail, were draining his accounts.
Presidents are eligible for the pension unless they are impeached, convicted and removed from office.
Since 2000, taxpayers have spent $125 million on pensions and other perks for former presidents, including staff salaries and office rent, said Demian Brady, vice president of research at the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.