Obama freezes salaries of some White House Aides
 

WASHINGTON – President Barack Obama's first public act in office Wednesday was to institute new limits on lobbyists in his White House and to freeze the salaries of high-paid aides, in a nod to the country's economic turmoil.

Announcing the moves while attending a ceremony in the Eisenhower Executive Office Building to swear in his staff, Obama said the steps "represent a clean break from business as usual."

The pay freeze, first reported by The Associated Press, would hold salaries at their current levels for the roughly 100 White House employees who make over $100,000 a year. "Families are tightening their belts, and so should Washington," said the new president, taking office amid startlingly bad economic times that many fear will grow worse.

Those affected by the freeze include the high-profile jobs of White House chief of staff, national security adviser and press secretary. Other aides who work in relative anonymity also would fit into that cap if Obama follows a structure similar to the one George W. Bush set up.

Obama's new lobbying rules will not only ban aides from trying to influence the administration when they leave his staff. Those already hired will be banned from working on matters they have previously lobbied on, or to approach agencies that they once targeted.


http://news.yahoo.com/s/ap/20090121/..._executive_pay

On the ground running....just keep a good pace.

^^^ YESSSSS!!! Makes you wonder why this cost-saving measure wasn't implemented further.

I don't know when Presidential aides come up for their salary review, or whatever the term is, but I would guess that the last time that there could have been a salary freeze was last January, or at some point around there.

I would guess that, whoever won the election, they would have made this move. With similar salary freezes occurring across the country (both in the public and private sector), I kind of expected something like this.

Wow... I meant to say "earlier", not further. I'm just happy to see some cost-saving measures. I'm still a beginner into politics, so I have limited knowledge of these types of presidential affairs. Thanks for pointing that out, KSigkid.

Great move.