Obama signs executive order giving Biden, Congress pay raises
Government worker is one of the only occupations where you get a raise even if you screw up royally.
President Barack Obama issued an executive order to end the pay freeze on federal employees, in effect giving some federal workers a raise. One federal worker now to receive a pay increase is Vice President Joe Biden.
According to disclosure forms, Biden made a cool $225,521 last year. After the pay increase, he'll now make $231,900 per year.
Members of Congress, from the House and Senate, also will receive a little bump, as their annual salary will go from $174,000 to 174,900. Leadership in Congress, including the speaker of the House, will likewise get an increase.
Here's the list of new wages, as attached to President Obama's executive order:
A new executive order has been issued providing for a new pay schedule beginning 'on the first day of the first applicable pay period beginning after March 27, 2013,'" reports FedSmith.com. "The pay raise will generally be about 1/2 of 1%."
As they say in the business, this one has "bad optics." With millions of Americans unemployed, underemployed, and whose pay has been cut over the last few years, it seems ridiculous that the architects of our problems are rewarded with pay raises - small though they may be.
Amazing that Obama was able to sign an executive order to boost the pay of Congress. The cowards couldn't bring themselves to raise their own pay.