Senator Ernst Advances Legislation to Cap Former Presidents’ Taxpayer-Funded Benefits
Sen. Joni Ernst announced Thursday that she is again pushing legislation to cap presidential pensions and perks, following projections indicating former President Joe Biden would receive what a taxpayer group described as the largest taxpayer-funded pension in U.S. history.
“Well, of course, the former presidents are not necessarily in favor of my actions,” the Iowa Republican said. “I have been working on this legislation since 2016.”
Ernst noted that many former presidents earn significant outside income after leaving the White House while still receiving taxpayer-funded benefits.
“We know many of our presidents go out, they get book deals, they get speaking engagements, so we’ll pay them tens of millions of dollars, yet they still subsist on taxpayer pensions,” she stated. “So what we’re trying to do is cap that.”
“We’ll limit that and then limit the expenses that they can put, like their travel, their postage, their office expenses put on the backs of the American taxpayer,” the senator added.
Ernst expressed hope that the measure could advance this year.
The renewed focus comes as the National Taxpayer Union Foundation estimated Biden’s total annual taxpayer-funded retirement income at about $417,000, which would exceed the $400,000 presidential salary and be nearly double the retirement pay received by former President Barack Obama.
Under the Former Presidents Act of 1958, former presidents receive a pension pegged to a Cabinet secretary’s salary, currently $250,600 per year, in addition to other retirement benefits for qualifying federal service.
Biden’s Senate and vice-presidential pension was estimated at roughly $166,000 annually, subject to limits, pushing the combined total above that of any former president.
Beyond pension payments, the General Services Administration has budgeted more than $1.5 million in fiscal year 2026 for Biden’s post-presidency benefits, including office space, staff, and equipment.
