WASHINGTON, (Reuters) – President Barack Obama plans to give back 5 percent of his pay in a gesture of solidarity with government workers who must take unpaid leave as a result of deep spending cuts that went into effect last month.
The president’s self-imposed pay cut would be effective from March 1, when the spending cuts began, and would last through the end of December, an administration official said yesterday.
Obama earns $400,000 a year. The official said the president decided on the 5-percent reduction, which would total $20,000, because it would be similar to the level of cuts to non-defense government agencies.
Defense and non-defense discretionary spending has shrunk across the board as a result of reductions under a process known as sequestration. To maintain critical functions, many agencies are making workers take unpaid leave, or furloughs.
The president’s gesture comes after the top Defense Department official said he would return part of his salary in an amount equal to pay lost by civilian employees.
