In a bid to show solidarity with federal workers suffering from government wide belt-tightening schemes, President Obama has chosen to donate a portion of his salary to charity.
Obama will send a check to the Treasury for 5 percent of his $400,000 annual salary for each month that federal employees are forced to take unpaid leave because of across-the-board budget cuts under a process known as sequestration, a White House official said yesterday.
“The salary for the president, as with members of Congress, is set by law and cannot be changed,” Obama spokesman Jay Carney said late Wednesday. “However, the president has decided that to share in the sacrifice being made by public servants across the federal government that are affected by the sequester, he will contribute a portion of his salary back to the Treasury.” A 5% cut from the president’s salary amounts to $20,000, an amount that is set to be returned to the Treasury by the end of September.
