Presidential Allowance Modernization Act of 2025
Sponsored By: Senator Joni Ernst
Introduced
Summary
Raise and index former Presidents' and surviving spouses' payments. This bill would reset how much former Presidents and their surviving spouses get paid and tie those payments to Social Security cost-of-living increases.
Show full summary
- Former Presidents: Former Presidents would get a $200,000 annual annuity and a separate $200,000 annual monetary allowance. Both payments would begin the day after leaving office, be paid monthly, and stop at death, and a former President would be ineligible while holding a federal job that pays more than a nominal rate.
- Surviving spouses: Surviving spouses would receive $100,000 per year and that amount would increase each year by the same percentage as Social Security benefits.
- Limits and administration: The monetary allowance could be reduced based on a former President's adjusted gross income above $400,000 using tax-return information limited to that calculation. The Administrator of General Services, working with the Secret Service, would determine how much allowance is needed to cover increased security costs.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
3 provisions identified: 2 benefits, 1 costs, 0 mixed.
Higher pay and COLA for former Presidents
If enacted, each former President would be eligible for a $200,000 annuity per year and a separate $200,000 monetary allowance per year. Payments would start the day after someone becomes a former President, be paid monthly, and end at death. The surviving spouse payment would rise from $20,000 to $100,000 per year and the law would use gender-neutral language. On December 1 each year, amounts that started before that date would be increased by the same percentage as Social Security title II cost-of-living increases. These changes would not apply to anyone who is already a former President or to that person’s widow or widower on the enactment date. The monetary allowance would be subject to the availability of appropriations and would be suspended while the former President holds most paid federal jobs.
Income cap on former President allowance
If enacted, the monetary allowance for a former President would be reduced for any 12-month period by how much the former President’s adjusted gross income plus tax-exempt interest exceeds a $400,000 threshold. That $400,000 threshold would be adjusted by the same COLA used for allowances. For joint returns, amounts properly allocable to the former President and spouse would be taken into account. A former President would have to disclose requested tax returns or return information to calculate the reduction, and the Treasury could use that information only to calculate the reduction and must keep it confidential. The payable allowance could not be set below a minimum amount that GSA, working with the Secret Service, determines is needed to cover increased security costs.
Security protections remain unchanged
If enacted, the bill would clarify that nothing in it is meant to change laws about security or protection for former Presidents or their family members. It would also not change funding under the Former Presidents Act of 1958 or other laws used to pay for those protections. Current security authorities and funding would remain in place.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Joni Ernst
IA • R
Cosponsors
There are no cosponsors for this bill.
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
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