In the United States, the median household income is around the $50,000 mark. With so much talk of income inequality and making the rich pay their fair share, one faction of the country is often neglected in the citizenry’s complaints: politicians.
It is not a secret that political officials in Washington make a substantial amount of money in addition to the benefits, perks and pensions they receive after doing their time in public office. This is the real travesty in the U.S. economy: civil servants earning more than those who pay their salaries.
Well, it seems if you want to earn a decent income then work at the White House.
According to the latest data released by the White House, the average salary is $83,000 per year. In fact, nearly three-quarters (70 percent) of President Obama’s 456 staffers earn more than the median household income. The president still makes $400,000 per year on top of his lavish lifestyle.
Twenty-two individuals earn the top salary of $172,200, including Senior Adviser Valerie Jarrett, Counselor John Podesta, Director of the National Economic Council Jeffrey Zients and Press Secretary Josh Earnest.
Indeed, the White House has to find the best liars it can find.
The pay gap between men and women remains a prevalent fact, despite the president calling for equal pay for equal work in the private sector. Apparently, this is making headlines, too, but this isn’t the first time that 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue has been in the news relating to gender salaries.
For the past couple of years, since President Obama has urged companies to pay their female employees equal to male employees, women in the White House still earn significantly less than their male counterparts.
Here is what the president said last summer:
“From the beginning, my Administration has been committed to advancing the historic march toward gender equality. We have fought for equal pay, prohibited gender discrimination in America’s healthcare system, and established the White House Council on Women and Girls, which works to ensure fair treatment in all matters of public policy.”
Yet, male White House staffers earned an average $73,729 last year, compared to women who garnered $65,000 incomes. This represents a roughly 12 percent gender wage gap that, in the president’s own words, should be addressed immediately. That is unless he wants to appear hypocritical.
The full list can be viewed below:
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