In keeping with his record of prolific spending as America's 44th Chief Executive, Barack Obama has now taken his place as the most expensive former U.S. President in history.
The Washington Times noted that at a little over $1.1 million, Obama's requested budget for 2018 “is more than $100,000 higher than George W. Bush’s request for next year, and nearly $200,000 more than Bill Clinton’s expected budget. George H.W. Bush is slated to get $942,000, while Jimmy Carter will get less than half that, at just $456,000.”
The figures come from a Congressional Research Service (CRS) memo looking into the official allowances for the nation's five living former presidents. The 1958 Former Presidents Act allows every former president an office, expenses, and even an annual pension payment. That law is the result of former President Harry S. Truman's struggles to obtain income after he left office in 1953.
The Times noted that Obama's 8,198-square-foot office space in Washington, D.C., will run taxpayers approximately $536,000 in 2018 — the most expensive office of any ex-president. “Mr. Clinton’s New York office is bigger, at 8,300 square feet, but slightly cheaper at $518,000,” the Times reported. “The younger Mr. Bush’s office in Dallas is $497,000, while his father’s space in Houston is $286,000. Mr. Carter’s Atlanta office is just $115,000.”
Similarly, Obama’s pension is also the highest, at $236,000 annually, followed by Clinton's at $231,000, and George W. Bush's at $225,000, according to the CRS memo. Neither George Bush Sr. nor Jimmy Carter receive a pension.
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