Obama's $400,000 speech could prompt Congress to go after his pension

[toomuchtime_]

Last year, then-president Barack Obama vetoed a bill that would have curbed the pensions of former presidents if they took outside income of $400,000 or more.

So now that former president Barack Obama has decided to accept $400,000 for an upcoming Wall Street speech, the sponsors of that bill say they'll reintroduce that bill in hopes that President Trump will sign it.

"The Obama hypocrisy on this issue is revealing," said Rep. Jason Chaffetz, R-Utah, chairman of the House Oversight and Government Reform Committee and sponsor of the 2016 bill. "His veto was very self-serving."

Chaffetz and Sen. Joni Ernst, R-Iowa, the sponsor of the companion Senate bill, say they will re-introduce the Presidential Allowance Modernization Act this month. The bill would cap presidential pensions at $200,000, with another $200,000 for expenses. But those payments would be reduced dollar-for-dollar once their outside income exceeds $400,000.

The issue isn't a partisan one — or at least, it wasn't last year. The bill passed both the House and Senate with no opposition, and no veto threat had come from the White House.


So when Obama's veto came one Friday night last July — on the last day for him to sign or veto the legislation — it took lawmakers by surprise. It was the 11th of Obama's 12 vetoes.

Obama's $400,000 speech could prompt Congress to go after his pension

Now this is a bill that will have bipartisan support.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Maybe he should pay for his own damn security detail

 

[easyt65]

The American people should go after ALL their pensions.

No one in America has a job where you serve 1 term / 4 - 6 years and then you get a retirement for the rest of your life. No one except politicians. WTF?!

 

[PurpleOwl]

Maybe he should pay for his own damn security detail

because he's black?

 

[IsaacNewton]

But a 20% tax cut for wealthy corporations, which will cost hundreds of billions in federal revenue, is A-OK with Republicans.

In other words they're fine with giving billions to their friends but are hell bent on finding yet another way to try to screw the black man who stomped their guts out for 8 straight years.

 

[CrusaderFrank]

Maybe he should pay for his own damn security detail

because he's black?

because he's raking in money like a 1%'er

 

[PurpleOwl]

Maybe he should pay for his own damn security detail

because he's black?

because he's raking in money like a 1%'er

trump's not?

 

[bendog]

hypocrites

George W. Bush's $15 Million Speech Payday

 

[Syriusly]

Maybe he should pay for his own damn security detail

because he's black?

because he's raking in money like a 1%'er

Because he's raking in money like white Presidents do......

 

[my2¢]

More needs to be done but it's a start.

Harry Truman's obsolete integrity

 

[Borillar]

I don't approve of these lifetime pensions, but it is interesting that with 43 presidents, they wait until the last year of the first black president to introduce a bill to curtail the pension.

 

[BluesLegend]

Wait, Obama called Wall Street fat cats and bashed them for 8 years and now he's taking $400k from Wall Street fat cats for making a 1 hour speech? Doesn't that seem more than a bit odd?

 

[bendog]

I don't approve of these lifetime pensions, but it is interesting that with 43 presidents, they wait until the last year of the first black president to introduce a bill to curtail the pension.

What's funny is the goal is to cut it 200K for .... 30 years? They just blew 8 billion deficit dollars and didn't cover preexisting conditions.

 

[bendog]

Wait, Obama called Wall Street fat cats and bashed them for 8 years and now he's taking $400k from Wall Street fat cats for making a 1 hour speech? Doesn't that seem more than a bit odd?

Obama is being a hypocrite. But that's not the gop's issue. It's chickenfeed compared to the Bushes

 

[g5000]

The President of the United States and leader of the free world makes less than a baseball pitcher makes for scratching his balls. I don't begrudge a single ex-President for making some money in retirement. They've earned every penny they can make. They age about 50 years while President.

Don't be such caviling assholes about it.

 

[bendog]

The President of the United States and leader of the free world makes less than a baseball pitcher makes for scratching his balls. I don't begrudge a single ex-President for making some money in retirement. They've earned every penny they can make. They age about 50 years while President.

Don't be such caviling assholes about it.

And while Obama has the capacity and perhaps the drivel (-: to teach law, don't we really want ex-presidents to shy away from controversy and do "good works." (realizing Slick didn't do that.)

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

But a 20% tax cut for wealthy corporations, which will cost hundreds of billions in federal revenue, is A-OK with Republicans.

In other words they're fine with giving billions to their friends but are hell bent on finding yet another way to try to screw the black man who stomped their guts out for 8 straight years.

It won't cost the government anything. They'll just take less.

 

[g5000]

The issue isn't a partisan one — or at least, it wasn't last year. The bill passed both the House and Senate with no opposition, and no veto threat had come from the White House.

And did the House and Senate vote on reducing their own pensions?

Hmmm...

 

[Soggy in NOLA]

Wait, Obama called Wall Street fat cats and bashed them for 8 years and now he's taking $400k from Wall Street fat cats for making a 1 hour speech? Doesn't that seem more than a bit odd?

Not at all... we all knew he was going to do it. No surprises here.

 

[boilermaker55]

A larger oddity is blue-collar workers voting for a man that wants to revoke their healthcare or make it so expensive , if you have a pre-existing condition, one cannot afford the price.

Wait, Obama called Wall Street fat cats and bashed them for 8 years and now he's taking $400k from Wall Street fat cats for making a 1 hour speech? Doesn't that seem more than a bit odd?