While several federal workers are without pay due to the partial government shut down, Trump has awarded senior Trump political appointees with annual $10,000 raises.
Starting Jan. 5, Cabinet secretaries, deputy secretaries, top administrators, and # MikePence will be given their $10,000 pay increase, according to documents issued by Office of Personnel Management and experts in federal pay, legislation will not be able to stop the change. Reports show the pay raises are a result of the government shut down. The Washington Post reports after lawmakers failed to pass bills on Dec. 21 to fund multiple federal agencies, which allowed an existing pay freeze to lapse.
Back in 2013, Congress passed a law capping pay for top federal law executives and renewed it each year. Because of this, the raises will occur because that cap will expire without legislative action by Saturday; this will allow raises that have accumulated over the years to start that never went into effect. It will begin with paychecks that are set to be issued next week.
Cabinet secretaries will be entitled to a jump in annual salary from $199,700 to $210,700. Deputy secretaries would be entitled to a raise from $179,700 to $189,600. Others affected are undersecretaries, deputy directors, and other top administrators. Pence’s check is scheduled to rise from $230,700 to $243,500, reports the Washington Post.
A spokesperson for the White House has yet to comment.
