White House releases staff salary list
WASHINGTON (CNN) - Top-level staff members of the Obama White House earn the same amount as their predecessors in the Bush administration, according to a report submitted to Congress Wednesday. The president announced the pay freeze on his first full day in office for White House employees earning more than $100,000.
The report, which a 1994 law requires be submitted annually to Senate and House oversight committees, shows 487 employees on the White House personnel list. Of those, 455 are employed directly by the White House, while an additional 32 are so-called "detailees" on loan from other federal agencies.
Among the actual employees, 122 staffers earn more than $100,000 annually, compared to 125 employees in the final year of the Bush administration. Twenty-two Obama White House staffers make the top possible salary of $172,200, compared to 18 employees who made that amount in the Bush White House.
Obama White House Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel and press secretary Robert Gibbs both make the top amount, as did their Bush counterparts Joshua Bolten and Dana Perino. Other top Obama aides who earn the maximum salary are senior adviser David Axelrod, White House Counsel Gregory Craig, communications director Anita Dunn, speechwriting director Jonathan Favreau, senior adviser Valerie Jarrett, National Security Adviser James Jones, and National Economic Council Director Lawrence Summers.
The highest-paid White House staff member is Public Health Policy Director David Marcozzi, who earns $192,934. However, as a detailee from the Department of Health and Human Services, his salary is not paid directly by the White House.
WHITE HOUSE STAFFERS EARNING THE TOP SALARY OF $172,200
David Axelrod
Assistant to the President and Senior Adviser
Melody Barnes
Assistant to the President and and Director of the Domestic Policy Council
John Brennan
Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser for Counterterrorism and Homeland Security
Elizabeth Brown
Assistant to the President and Staff Secretary
Carol Browner
Assistant to the President for Energy and Climate Change
Gregory Craig
Assistant to the President and Counsel to the President
Thomas Donilon
Assistant to the President and Deputy National Security Adviser
Anita Dunn
Assistant to the President and Director of Communications
Rahm Emanuel
Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff
Jonathan Favreau
Assistant to the President and Director of Speechwriting
Patrick Gaspard
Assistant to the President and Director of Political Affairs
Robert Gibbs
Assistant to the President and Press Secretary
Valerie Jarrett
Senior Adviser and Assistant to the President and for Intergovernmental Affairs and Public Engagement
James Jones
National Security Adviser
Christopher Lu
Assistant to the President and Cabinet Secretary
Alyssa Mastromonaco
Assistant to the President and Director of Scheduling and Advance
James Messina
Assistant to the President and and Deputy Chief of Staff for Operations
Peter Rouse
Assistant to the President and Senior Adviser
Philip Schiliro
Assistant to the President and Director, Office of Legislative Affairs
Susan Sher
Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff to the First Lady
Lawrence Summers
Assistant to the President for Economic Policy and Director of the National Economic Council
Mona Sutphen
Assistant to the President and Deputy Chief of Staff for Policy
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In private sector, a midle level manager will make easily $150K, options + stock grants etc. Compared to that these salaries are ridiculously low. Just the pressure of working in White house and the responsibilities that come along with it, doesn't matter whether they are republicans or dems they all can be paid lot more.
Obama sure talks a good talk but he's not keeping his house in order. Let's have him cut their pay. OH Yes, let's have him discontinue their Medical coverage. None of them are worth a nickle.
All we get is "Obama Jama" his worthless ideas to us while he has the Treasury print money that we can't possibly cover.
Let's not forget all the deals that they will have lined up after they leave office. That's where they really rake it in. Even Dubyah makes $250K for a speaking engagement.
If you take the salary of the top people in the Obama administration, including Obama himself, and divide the salary by the number of hours they work, each of them is actually making a little more that $3.00 (three dollars) an hour for the work they do. That is a cryin' shame.
The problem i have with Americans are we are so misinformed. I just looked up the amount the folks in Bush white house and there are just as much as Obamas and screwed up the nation.
I cant remember CNN posting Bush staff salaries giving the fact that the economy recession started as far back as 2007. I know CNN has its own agenda with Dana Bash, King and the rest of the GOP cronies working here.
It doesnt matter anyways...CNN cant save GOP lol. Your ratings will only continue to go down as it is this quarter when you came in 3rd again in prime time.
I know CNN likes to remove posting...its one of ur worlds that sickens us and drives us away when our voice cannot be heard.