Biden's White House Staff Costs Soar to Record Highs
The White House employed 565 people this year at a cost of $60.8 million, according to a new report from OpenTheBooks.com. This marks a significant increase from previous administrations, with Richard Nixon being the first president to employ more than 500 staffers.
Donald Trump employed 413 people in the last year of his presidency, and Barack Obama had 468 staffers. Biden's staff turnover rate has now reached 77% since he took office, with only 125 of the 560 people who worked in the White House in 2021 still there.
Biden employs 106 "special assistants to the president" working on topics like gun violence and global gender policy, earning between $120,000 and $140,000. He also still has seven staffers with "pandemic response" in their title, even though he declared the pandemic "over" in September 2022.
The payroll also includes 24 people working for First Lady Jill Biden at a cost of $2.5 million. She employed only eight people in fiscal year 2022. Jill Biden has her own foreign policy advisor, multiple speechwriters, a "trip director," and even an "advisor to the senior advisor to the First Lady."
Biden's advisors include leaders with ties to prior administrations and politically controversial initiatives. Neera Tanden, a domestic policy advisor earning $180,000, was previously Biden's choice to lead the Office of Management and Budget. She withdrew her candidacy after highly partisan social media posts turned some senators against her.
Jake Sullivan, Biden's National Security Advisor, who also makes $180,000, helped negotiate the Iran deal under Obama. He was also a deputy chief of staff to former Secretary of State Hillary Clinton.
The federal bureaucracy has expanded in several ways under Biden, and his record payroll is just one small example. This comes at a time when many Americans are struggling to make ends meet and the economy is still recovering from the pandemic.
It's worth noting that the Trump administration was able to operate with a smaller staff and lower costs, while still achieving significant policy goals. The Biden administration's decision to expand the size and cost of the White House staff raises questions about the administration's priorities and use of taxpayer dollars.
As the 2024 election approaches, voters will have to decide whether they want to continue down this path of expanding government and increasing costs, or if they want to return to a more fiscally responsible approach.
Sources:
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