So, if the Senate convicts him, it might seemingly want a second vote to make Trump ineligible for his pension and advantages, in accordance with Michael Gerhardt, regulation professor on the College of North Carolina. That second vote would take away him from the workplace of former president, leading to his dropping the advantages of that workplace, in accordance with Gerhardt. However different specialists query whether or not even a second vote would be capable to strip him of the pension and perks.
“That appears fairly questionable,” mentioned Demian Brady, director of analysis for the Nationwide Taxpayers Union Basis, a authorities spending watchdog.
Different advantages
Brady mentioned some of the costly perks for ex-presidents is workplace area hire, which has no limits. Former Presidents Invoice Clinton, George W. Bush and Barack Obama every had greater than $500,000 in workplace hire coated final yr, Brady mentioned. Jimmy Carter’s hire was solely a fraction of that – $118,000. However that was nonetheless substantial.
One perk that Trump is not going to get that different former presidents obtain is medical health insurance — a president must be in federal workplace for at the least 5 years to get that perk, so neither Trump nor Carter qualify for that.
Trump’s wealth
Maybe the pension would not matter that a lot — Trump seems to have finished wonderful with out his presidential wage throughout his time in workplace.
The regulation spelling out presidential pensions was handed in 1958, when Harry Truman, then considered one of two dwelling ex-presidents, was experiencing monetary issues. However there have been calls to finish or cut back the pension and perks for ex-presidents, particularly as a result of most presidents immediately have important incomes potential from books and lectures.
“This regulation was initially enacted for a tough luck case. Within the trendy period these ex-presidents have such substantial incomes potential that it has grow to be subsidizing millionaires,” mentioned NTUF’s Brady.
Brady argues even when the advantages come to solely $four million a yr, a miniscule a part of a federal price range that’s within the trillions, it’s cash that may be saved.
“Any alternative the place we will cut back pointless spending, we must always take it,” he mentioned.
However that $400,000 may shortly have disappear underneath the laws, which cuts the pension and expense funds by a greenback for each greenback that a former president earns above $400,000. So taxpayers are off the hook completely as soon as a president earns $800,000 a yr.
Obama vetoed the laws, telling Congress that he did so as a result of the invoice additionally would have terminated the salaries and advantages of former presidents’ employees, and made it tougher for the Secret Service to guard former presidents.
“If the Congress returns the invoice having appropriately addressed these issues, I’ll signal it,” he mentioned.
The laws by no means obtained again to Obama’s desk. And whereas the Home handed related laws in 2019 after the Democrats took management of the chamber, the Senate by no means voted on it.