Republicans Running as Outsiders Getting Taxpayer-Paid Pensions
By Kristin Jensen and Margaret Talev - Jan 19, 2012 12:01 AM ET
While campaigning on calls to reduce government spending, three of the five Republican presidential candidates are receiving or will be eligible to draw taxpayer- financed pensions. So would a fourth if he hadn’t opted out of the plan.
Newt Gingrich, 68, gets a gross annual federal pension of more than $100,000, according to a report from the U.S. Office of Personnel Management released through the Freedom of Information Act.
He’s not alone; more than 350 former U.S. lawmakers and congressional staff top $100,000 a year, and many more get lower pensions.
“If there’s one thing that can present a PR problem for a self-identified fiscal conservative, it’s the pay and perks that such a person can earn in elective office,” said Pete Sepp, executive vice president at the National Taxpayers’ Union, an Alexandria, Virginia-based group that advocates for lower taxes.
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