Presidential Pamphlet
Halle Brosious and Lilly Stout
Job Requirements, Perks, Salary
- Must be 35 years old.
- Must be a natural born citizen of the United States.
- Must have lived in the U.S. for 14 years.
Perks (While Sitting)
Staff - The President receives basically unlimited staff, as determined by Congress. There is some 96 employees in the White House not including security staff. A Chief Usher oversees a Chef, Pastry Chef, Physician, Social Secretary, Chief Calligrapher, and others. Each of these can oversee as many as 21 individuals themselves.
White House - The White House is absurdly expensive, costing over $4M a year. Flowers alone cost $250k a year. Movie theater, bowling alley, pool, tennis and basketball courts, putting green, groundskeepers, florists, valets and butlers, a pastry chef and 24-hour cooking staff.
Recreation - As above, the President receives some of the best recreation available. They receive invites to the best parties, and any invitation they send out is unlikely to be rebuffed. Many many activities occur on the South Lawn.
Air Force One - The middle level of these planes carries up to 70 passengers, as well as a 26-person crew. There's ample room in the staff, media and security areas in the back half of the plane, but the president has a personal suite under the cockpit with an office, bathroom, bedroom and workout room. The upper level of the plane is for the telecommunications center, while the bottom level is for cargo. C17 cargo planes carry the motorcade to wherever the president is headed. It costs approximately $185k an hour.
Ground Transportation - The Beast, which costs around $300k a year, and is generally one of the most secure vehicles on the planet. They receive two 'Dignitary Buses' at around $1MM each. The Beast shoots grenades and sees in infrared.
Blair House - Larger than the White House, its 119 rooms include more than 20 bedrooms for guests and staff, 35 bathrooms, four dining rooms, a gym, a flower shop and a hair salon. Several presidents-elect and their families have spent their last few nights before inauguration in Blair House. Even more interestingly, when foreign leaders stay at Blair House, the house flies their flag -- which means that the house itself becomes foreign soil. The Presidential Townhouse, set up by Nixon in 1969, is included in the property as a guesthouse for Former Presidents.
Travel & Advance Team - The Presidential Advance Team includes logistics and security for the president's motorcade, as well as employing Secret Service against the 500 death threats the president receives each month, on average. President Bush's administration in 2003, a trip to London required 904 staffers from Defense, 600 from the armed services, 250 Secret Service officers, 205 White House staff, 103 CIA staff, 44 staff from the State Department, 30 more from within the Cabinet, 18 Senior Advance Office staff, 16 Congressmen and 12 sniffer dogs.
Camp David - The Presidential vacation home. No Washington heat or traffic. Features 11 cabins, office cabin, swimming pool, shooting range, bowling alley, etc. Plus the use of Marine One to helicopter in, which is around $7MM each.Perks (After)
Security - Presidents before 1997 received security for life. This was changed to only 10 years for George W Bush, but then retroactively returned to lifetime security. It includes the spouse, and any children until age 16. Secret Service can also decide autonomously to continue security after.
Pension - Executive Level One Pay, which is currently $199k, in perpetuity. There's a few bills trying to change it to 200k in total (removing all above) with removal of each dollar in personal annual wealth over $400k. These are fully taxable.
Transition - Presidents receive 6 months of transition costs. It covers office space, staff compensation, communications services, and printing and postage associated with the transition
Allowance - Clinton receives $580k for office rent, Bush receive $80k for Phone Bills, $15k for Carter's postage. Total almost $4MM annually. 30 months after the 6 month transition, you receive $150k in post-presidential staff pay, and $96k a year after that.
Travel - Congress determined that former Presidents must travel as part of their civic duties, and are allowed $1MM in travel expenses.
Health Benefits - Presidents receive health benefits for 5 or more years of Federal service, and while it is 'the same as Congress,' they also get the added bonus of priority and use veteran's hospitals. George HW Bush turned this down. Jimmy Carter is ineligible.
Presidential Townhouse - The Townhouse mentioned in the 'Sitting' sections Blair House is a perk that continues into retirement. The five-story building directly adjacent to the White House is used as a guesthouse for Former Presidents, and includes multiple dining rooms, bedrooms, and is connected to the Blair House via a basement housing Secret Service operations.- Salary: Since 2001, the president has earned a $400,000 annual salary, along with a $50,000 annual expense account, a $100,000 nontaxable travel account, and $19,000 for entertainment
Constitutional Powers Given to the President
l. Be commander in chief of the Army and Navy when called into service.
2. Require the opinion of the principal officer in each executive department.
3. Have power to grand reprieves and pardons.
4. Make treaties.
5. Nominate and appoint ambassadors, judges of the Supreme Court and all other officers of the United States.
6. Fill up all vacancies during the recess of the Senate.
7. Give to Congress information of the state of the union.
8. Recommend to their consideration such measures as he shall judge necessary and expedient.
9. On extraordinary occasions convene both Houses, or either of them.
10. Receive ambassadors and other public ministers.
11. Take care that the laws be faithfully executed.
12. Commission all the officers of the United States.