Barack Obama will return 5% of his salary to the US treasury in a show of solidarity with federal workers affected by $85bn in government-wide spending cuts.
Hundreds of thousands of workers could be forced to take unpaid leave if Congress fails to reach an agreement soon to undo the cuts, which came as punishment for the inability of the Obama administration and Congress to come up with another way to address the country's debt.The 5% that Obama will hand back mirrors the 5% cut that domestic agencies took when the reductions went into effect.
The Pentagon's budget took an 8% hit.Every federal agency is grappling with spending cuts, which the White House has said could affect everything from commercial flights to classrooms.
A 5% cut from Obama's salary of $400,000 (£265,000) a year amounts to $20,000."The salary for the president, as with members of Congress, is set by law and cannot be changed," Obama's spokesman, Jay Carney said. "However, the president has decided to share in the sacrifice being made by public servants across the federal government."
Nice gesture Mr. Obama but your plate is filled with loads of other problems you have to grapple with.
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