Order Code RL34631
Former Presidents: Pensions, Office Allowances,
and Other Federal Benefits
August 22, 2008
Wendy Ginsberg
Analyst in American National Government
Government and Finance Division

Former Presidents: Pensions, Office Allowances, and
Other Federal Benefits
Summary
The Former Presidents Act (FPA; 3 U.S.C. § 102 note) charges the General
Services Administration (GSA) with providing former Presidents a pension, support
staff, office support, travel funds, and mailing privileges. The FPA was enacted to
“maintain the dignity” of the Office of the President by giving a former President —
and his or her spouse — certain benefits so that he would not have to enter unsuitable
occupations after leaving office. Former Presidents currently receive a pension that
is equal to pay for the head of an executive department (Executive Level I), which
was $191,300 as of January 1, 2008.
The FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act allocated $2,478,000 for
pensions and GSA assistance to former Presidents. The President’s FY2009 budget
requested $2,934,000 for expenditures for former Presidents. Pending House and
Senate appropriations legislation recommends the requested amount.
Prior to 1958, former Presidents leaving office received no pension or federal
assistance. After leaving office, some former Presidents — including Ulysses S.
Grant and Harry S Truman — struggled financially. In 1912, industrialist and
philanthropist Andrew Carnegie unveiled a plan to pay $25,000 pensions to all future
former Presidents and their widows. The pensions were to be funded by the Carnegie
Foundation of New York. Some Members of Congress and the public suggested it
was inappropriate for a private company to pay pensions to former Presidents.
Legislation was introduced that year to grant public pensions to former Presidents,
but none of the bills were reported from committee. William Howard Taft, the only
former President who was then eligible for Carnegie’s offer, refused the pension.
Since 1962, the U.S. Secret Service has provided protection to former Presidents
because of their status as “visible national symbol[s].” Protection has subsequently
been expanded to cover a former President’s wife until death or remarriage. Minor
children of former Presidents who are under 16 years of age also receive protection.
In 1994, the law was amended to limit U.S. Secret Service coverage to 10 years for
any President, and his spouse, who left office after January 1, 1997. President
George W. Bush will be the first former President affected by this statutory change.
In the 110th Congress, Representative John Conyers introduced a bill (H.R.
5938) that would extend U.S. Secret Service Protection to a Vice President, his or her
spouse, and family for up to six months after leaving office. Currently, Secret
Service protection for a Vice President and his or her family is provided on an ad hoc
basis.
This report describes the benefits Presidents receive upon leaving office, details
the history of the FPA, and analyzes some legislative options for the 110th Congress
related to former Presidents.

Contents
Introduction . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 1
Benefits Available to Former Presidents . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 2
Transition Expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 3
Pensions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Staff and Office Allowances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 4
Travel Expenses . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Related Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Secret Service Protection . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 6
Health Benefits . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 7
Funerals . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 8
Legislative History of the Former President’s Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Andrew Carnegie’s Offer . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 9
Truman’s Finances . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 10
Passing the Former President’s Act . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 11
Post-presidential Lifespans . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 13
Conclusions . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . . 15
List of Tables
Table 1. GSA Allowances for Former Presidents, FY2008 Enacted . . . . . . . . . 2
Table 2. Retirement Period of Former Presidents After Leaving Office . . . . . . 14

Former Presidents: Pensions, Office
Allowances, and Other Federal Benefits
Introduction1
The Former Presidents Act (FPA), as amended and administered by the General
Services Administration (GSA), provides former Presidents with a pension, support
staff, office space, travel funds, and mailing privileges. Outgoing Presidents are also
entitled by statute to receive seven months of transition funding to find suitable office
space, pay staff, and use in other ways that facilitate their transition from the nation’s
chief executive.
In addition to a pension and transition funding, former Presidents and their
spouses also receive U.S. Secret Service protection. The spouse of a former
President receives protection until his or her death, divorce, or remarriage. Minor
children of former Presidents who are under 16 years of age also receive protection.
In 1994, the law was amended to limit U.S. Secret Service coverage to 10 years for
any President, and his spouse, who left office after January 1, 1997. President
George W. Bush will be the first former President affected by this statutory change.
The United States is not the only country that pays a pension and other benefits
to its former head of state. For example, since 1937, Britain’s former Prime
Ministers have received a pension (equal to half of their ministerial salary). They
have also received an office, secretarial support, and a car and driver.2 In Canada,
Prime Ministers who have served in office for at least four years reportedly are
eligible to receive a pension that is two-thirds of the salary they received as head of
state.3
In the 110th Congress, Representative John Conyers introduced a bill (H.R.
5938) that would extend U.S. Secret Service Protection to a Vice President, his or her
spouse, and family for up to six months after leaving office. Currently, Secret
Service protection for a Vice President and his or her family is provided on an ad hoc
basis.
1 This report draws upon and supercedes CRS Report 98-249, Former Presidents: Federal
Pension and Retirement Benefits
, by Stephanie Smith.
2 Theakston, Kevin, “What Role for Former Leaders?,” Political Studies Association
Conference
, University of Swansea, Apr. 2008, p. 11.
3 Benjamin Alexander-Bloch, “Hail to the chief: former presidents cost the U.S. taxpayers
big bucks,” The Toledo Blade, Jan. 7, 2007, available at [http://toledoblade.com/apps/
pbcs.dll/article?AID=/20070107/NEWS09/70107004], visited Aug. 14, 2008.

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The FY2008 Consolidated Appropriations Act allocated $2,478,000 for
pensions and GSA assistance to former Presidents. The President’s FY2009 budget
requested $2,934,000 for expenditures for former Presidents. The increase in
appropriations for former Presidents is prompted by the addition of George W. Bush,
whose term ends on January 20, 2009. Pending House and Senate appropriations
legislation recommends the requested amount.
Presidents leaving office prior to 1958 received no federal pension or financial
assistance, and often entered retirement pursuing various occupations. The FPA,
enacted in 1958, was designed to “maintain the dignity” of the Office of the President
by paying former Presidents a pension and other benefits so they would not have to
enter unsuitable occupations after leaving office. Former Presidents currently receive
a pension that is equal to pay for the head of an executive department (Executive
Level I), which was $191,300 as of January 1, 2008.
Benefits Available to Former Presidents
The General Services Administration (GSA) is authorized by the FPA to
provide limited funding for an office staff and “suitable office space, appropriately
furnished and equipped,”4 at a location within the United States designated by a
former President, for the rest of his or her lifetime. In addition, each former
President is authorized to receive transition funding, a lifetime federal pension, travel
funds, and franked mail privileges. Separate legislation has been enacted to provide
U.S. Secret Service protection to former Presidents.5 In 1961, the Comptroller
General of the United States ruled that the FPA also applies to office supplies, such
as stationery and local and long distance telephone service. Table 1 indicates the
enacted FY2008 GSA funding for former Presidents.6
Table 1. GSA Allowances for Former Presidents,
FY2008 Enacted
William
George H.W.
Allowance
Jimmy Carter
Jefferson
Bush
Clinton
Pensiona
$191,300
$191,300
$201,300
Staff Salaries
96,000
96,000
96,000
Staff Benefits
2,000
64,000
65,000
Travel
2,000
56,000
50,000
Rental Payments
102,000
175,000
516,000
Telephone
10,000
17,000
79,000
4 72 Stat. 838
5 10 U.S.C. § 3056.
6 121 Stat. 2004. Nancy Reagan and Betty Ford, the widows of Presidents Ronald Reagan
and Gerald Ford respectively, received $12,000 in franking costs in FY2008.

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William
George H.W.
Allowance
Jimmy Carter
Jefferson
Bush
Clinton
Postage
15,000
13,000
15,000
Other Services
83,000
76,000
65,000
Printing
5,000
14,000
14,000
Supplies
5,000
15,000
26,000
Equipment
7,000
69,000
35,000
TOTAL
$518,300
$786,300
$1,162,300
Source: Data provided by the Office of the Budget, General Services Administration, on January 24,
2008. Data does not include costs for U.S. Secret Service protection, which are not made public.
Notes:
a. The annual pension for each former President is equal to the Executive Level I rate of pay.
According to GSA, the additional $10,000 requested for former President William J. Clinton
is for health benefits insurance.
Transition Expenses. As authorized by the Presidential Transition Act, as
amended, transition funding is available to the outgoing President and Vice President
for seven months, beginning one month before the January 20 inauguration, to
facilitate their relocation to private life.7 These funds are used to provide suitable
office space, staff compensation, communications services, and printing and postage
associated with the transition.
The President’s FY2009 budget requested $8,520,000 for presidential transition
expenses.8 This funding would support transition costs for both the President- and
Vice President-elect, as well as the outgoing President and Vice President. An
additional $1 million is carved out for “briefing personnel associated with the
incoming administration.”9 As of August 14, 2008, the Senate and House
Committees on Appropriations each recommended the President’s requested
amount.10
To provide federal funding for a possible 2004-2005 presidential transition, the
President’s FY2005 budget requested a total of $7.7 million. The House passed H.R.
5025, the FY2005 Transportation, Treasury, and Independent Agencies
7 3 U.S.C. § 102 note sec. 4. The Presidential Transition Act was last amended in Dec.
2004. For more information on presidential transitions see CRS Report RL30736,
Presidential Transitions, by Stephanie Smith. If the former Vice President is President-
elect, the transition funding for the outgoing President and Vice President is reduced.
Transition funding for outgoing Presidents is limited by statute and adjusted for inflation.
8 U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal
Year 2009
, Appendix (Washington, GPO, 2008), p. 1075.
9 Ibid.
10 U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Financial Services and General
Government Appropriations Bill, FY2009
, report to accompany S. 3260, 110th Cong, 2nd
sess., S.Rept. 110-417 (Washington: GPO, 2008), p. 89. See also CRS Report RL34523,
Financial Services and General Government: FY 2009 Appropriations, by Garrett Hatch.

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appropriations bill, on September 22, 2004. The legislation would have made
available a total of $7.7 million for transition expenses. In the Senate, S. 2806 would
have made available a total of $7.7 million to facilitate a transition. Because
President Bush was re-elected in the 2004 presidential election, no funds for a
transition were provided in the FY2005 Consolidated Appropriations Act.11

Pensions. The FPA, as amended, provides for each former President a taxable
pension that is equal to the annual rate of basic pay for the head of an executive
department (Executive Level I), which was $191,300 as of January 1, 2008. The
pension begins immediately upon a President’s departure from office at noon on
Inauguration Day, January 20. The Secretary of the Treasury pays the monthly
pensions, as authorized by the FPA.
The President’s FY2009 budget requests would cover “pensions, office staffs,
and related expenses for former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H.W. Bush, and
William Clinton and for the postal franking privileges for the widows of former
Presidents Ronald Reagan and Gerald Ford.”12 In addition, the request “includes an
increase for the commencement of benefits for President George W. Bush beginning
January 20, 2009.”13
The FPA does not address whether a President who resigns from office is
eligible to receive pension benefits and other allowances. According to a 1974
Department of Justice opinion concerning President Richard Nixon’s resignation
from office, a President who resigns before his official term of office expires may be
entitled to the same lifetime pension and benefits that are authorized for Presidents
who complete their term. A President who is removed from office by impeachment,
however, may forfeit his pension and related benefits.14
Staff and Office Allowances. Six months after a President leaves office,
provisions of the FPA, as amended, authorize the GSA Administrator to fund an
office staff.15 During the first 30-month period when a former President is entitled
to assistance under the FPA, the total annual basic compensation for his “staff
11 118 Stat. 2809.
12 U.S. Office of Management and Budget, Budget of the United States Government, Fiscal
Year 2009
, Appendix (Washington: GPO, 2008), p. 1075. A former President who secures
an elected position in the federal government or the District of Columbia government is
ineligible to receive the pension while in office. See 3 U.S.C. 102 note.
13 U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Appropriations, Financial Services and General
Government Appropriations Bill, FY2009
, report to accompany S. 3260, 110th Cong, 2nd
sess., S.Rept. 110-417, p. 88. See also CRS Report RL34523, Financial Services and
General Government: FY 2009 Appropriations
, by Garret Hatch, p. 38.
14 U.S. Department of Justice, Office of Assistant Attorney General, letter to the
Administrator of the General Services Administration from Mary C. Lawton, Acting
Assistant Attorney General, Office of Legal Counsel, Washington, DC, Aug. 15, 1974.
15 As authorized by the Presidential Transition Act, as amended (3 U.S.C. § 102 note).

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assistance”cannot exceed $150,000.16 Thereafter, the aggregate rates of staff
compensation for a former President cannot exceed $96,000 annually.17 The
maximum annual rate of compensation for any one staff member cannot exceed the
pay provided at Level II of the Executive Schedule, currently $172,200.18 A former
President might supplement staff compensation or hire additional staff using private
funds.19
GSA is authorized to provide “suitable office space, appropriately furnished and
equipped” at any location within the United States selected by a former President.20
The funding for this provision becomes effective six months after the expiration of
a President’s term of office. GSA employees work with officials who represent the
former President to create annual budgets.21 According to a GSA legal opinion
written on December 15, 1972, the office of a former President may continue to
operate after the former President’s death for a “reasonable period of time.” The
GSA administrator has historically provided office staff up to six months from the
date of the former President’s death to complete unfinished business and close the
office. The office’s closure date must be approved by the GSA administrator.22
The FPA does not provide specifications or limitations pertaining to the actual
size or type of a former President’s office space. Since a former President’s pension
is comparable to the salary of the head of an executive branch agency, GSA applies
16 Ibid.; The separate $150,000 compensation level for the initial 30-month period was
established in 1977, 91 Stat. 1170. The 30-month period begins July 20th of the first year
the former President left office. See U.S. General Accounting Office, GAO Report GAO-
01-983, Former Presidents: Office and Security Costs and Other Information, Sept. 2001,
p. 16.
17 In 1964, the FPA was amended to increase the aggregate rates of staff compensation from
$50,000 to $65,000 (78 Stat. 412); to $80,000 in 1967 (81 Stat. 642); and to $96,000 in 1970
(84 Stat. 198).
18 3 U.S.C. § 102 note. According to a GAO report, staff members of a former President
“can receive federal compensation, [but] they are not considered federal employees. They
are, however, eligible for certain federal benefits such as retirement and health insurance.”
See U.S. General Accounting Office, GAO Report GAO-01-983, Former Presidents: Office
and Security Costs and Other Information
, Sept. 2001, p. 16.
19 A former President must use personal or private foundation funds to pay staff if the cost
is greater than the $96,000 statutory cap. The following presidential foundations may supply
some funding for a former President’s staff salaries: the Gerald R. Ford Library and
Museum Foundation, the Jimmy Carter Presidential Center, the Ronald Reagan Presidential
Foundation, the George H.W. Bush Presidential Center Foundation, and the William
Jefferson Clinton Presidential Foundation.
20 3 U.S.C. § 102 note. See also U.S. General Accounting Office, GAO Report GAO-01-
983, Former Presidents: Office and Security Costs and Other Information, Sept. 2001, p.
9.
21 U.S. General Accounting Office, GAO Report GAO-01-983, Former Presidents: Office
and Security Costs and Other Information
, Sept. 2001, p. 7.
22 Information provided electronically to the author from GSA on Aug. 8, 2008.

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“the cabinet-level office standard” for the quality of a former President’s office space,
equipment, and supplies.23
Currently, former President Carter’s 4,223 square foot office is located in
Atlanta, Georgia, with an estimated rental payment totaling $102,000 in FY2008.24
Former President Bush’s Houston, Texas, office space is 4,574 square feet in size,
with an FY2008 rental cost of approximately $175,000.25 The 8,300 square foot
office of former President Clinton has an estimated FY2008 rental payment of
$516,000, and is located in New York (Harlem), New York.26 The widow of a
former President is not entitled to any staff or office allowance.27
Travel Expenses. Legislation enacted in 1968 authorizes GSA funds to be
made available to a former President and no more than two members of his staff for
official travel and related expenses. GSA makes the final determination on
appropriate costs for travel expenses.28
Related Benefits
In addition to the federal pension and retirement allowances provided by GSA,
other benefits are also made available to a former President.
Secret Service Protection. The Secret Service provides lifetime protection
to former Presidents who entered office before January 1, 1997, and their spouses.29
Spouses of former Presidents receive protection until divorce, remarriage, or the
23 U.S. General Accounting Office, Costs Associated with Former Presidents and Their
Dependents
, p. 6.
24 GAO reported that former President Carter’s office is located in the Carter Presidential
Center, a nonprofit foundation, and utilizes additional conference and office space that is
not federally funded. Ibid., pp. 12-13, and Table 1.
25 Ibid., p. 13, and Table 1.
26 GSA reported that the U.S. Secret Service occupies 308 sq. ft. of former President
Clinton’s office space, and reimburses GSA for the space. U.S. General Services
Administration, GSA Awards Lease for Former President Clinton’s Harlem Office, at
[http://www.gsa.gov/Portal/gsa/ep/contentView.do?contentType=GSA_BASIC&
contentId=8980&noc=T], and Table 1.
27 U.S. General Accounting Office, Former Presidents: Office and Security Costs and Other
Information
, pp. 6-7.
28 FY1969 Supplemental Appropriations Act, 82 Stat. 1192.
29 18 U.S.C. § 3056. The original statute (76 Stat. 956) limited Secret Service protection to
“a reasonable period after he leaves office.” The following year, 1963, a new statute (77
Stat. 348) authorized the Secret Service to protect Jacqueline Kennedy, the widow of
President John F. Kennedy, and their two children for “not in excess of two years.” In 1965,
the law was amended (79 Stat. 791) to provide “protection of the person of a former
President and his wife during his lifetime and the person of a widow and minor children of
a former President for a period of four years after he leaves or dies in office.”

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death of the former President.30 Legislation enacted in 1984 allows former Presidents
or their dependents to decline Secret Service protection.31 In addition to Nancy
Reagan and Betty Ford, former Presidents Jimmy Carter, George H. W. Bush,
William J. Clinton, and their wives receive protection. According to Sgt. Kimberly
Schneider of the U.S. Capitol Police, protection for Hillary Rodham Clinton, as a
Senator, is shared between the U.S. Capitol Police and the U.S. Secret Service. Both
organizations have statutory responsibility for her security — the Secret Service for
spouses of former Presidents and the Capitol Police for Members of Congress.
Neither the Secret Service nor the Capitol Police publicly disclose protection costs
or details of the protection for security reasons.32
The FY1995 Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations
Act33 amended 18 U.S.C. § 3056 to limit protection to 10 years for former Presidents
who begin serving after January 1, 1997, and for their spouses. A spouse’s 10-year
protection ends upon divorce or death of the former President. Following an
incumbent President’s death,34 a spouse receives protection for one year. The
Secretary of Homeland Security can authorize temporary protection at any time.
Protection for a former President’s children is available until the age of 16 or for a
period not to exceed 10 years, whichever occurs first. The Presidential Threat
Protection Act of 2000, granted the Secret Service additional authority to investigate
threats against former Presidents and their families.35
Health Benefits. Although no statutes govern the payment of health benefits
for former Presidents, the GSA does provide for such an allowance. According to
a June 8, 2007, GSA legal opinion, former President Clinton is “entitled to enroll in
group health plans available to [f]ederal employees” because he “draws a pension
from the United States treasury, and thus can be considered an annuitant (defined in
5 U.S.C. § 8901(3)).”36 Since former President Clinton served two presidential terms
and receives a monthly pension, GSA’s position is that he qualifies for health
benefits.37 George H. W. Bush and Jimmy Carter each served single presidential
terms, and, therefore, would not qualify for federally funded health benefits,
according to GSA’s legal opinion.38 George W. Bush, whose term ends on January
30 If the President dies while in office, the spouse may receive Secret Service protection for
one year. 18 U.S.C. § 3056(3)(B).
31 98 Stat. 3110.
32 Information provided electronically to the author from the U.S. Capitol Police on Aug. 7,
2008.
33 108 Stat. 2413.
34 For more information on presidential transition following the death of a sitting President,
see U.S. Constitution, Amendment XXV.
35 114 Stat. 2763.
36 Information provided electronically to the author from GSA on Aug. 8, 2008.
37 Former President Clinton was allocated $10,000 in FY2008 for health benefits.
38 Former Presidents Jimmy Carter and George H.W. Bush may qualify for federal health
(continued...)

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20, 2009, would be eligible to receive federal health benefits, according to GSA.
GSA has not been informed as to whether President Bush intends to request federal
health benefits.
Funerals. The incumbent President officially announces the death of a former
President by presidential proclamation and orders the U.S. flags on all federal
buildings to be flown at half-staff (4 U.S.C. § 7(m)) for 30 days. The President may
offer the nation’s condolences to the former President’s immediate family. Upon the
death of a former President, the sitting President might order units of the armed
forces to render suitable honors. Certain military honors and traditions also may be
extended by the military, based on the wishes and requests made by the former
President’s surviving family members.39 The Secretary of Defense may designate the
Secretary of the Army as his personal representative, who may then delegate to the
commanding general of the U.S. Military District of Washington (MDW) the overall
authority for planning and implementing the funeral arrangements. Each living
former President prepares a formal funeral request, which is kept on file by the
MDW. According to the long-standing custom that an officer escort the immediate
family of a deceased military member until burial, the commanding general of the
MDW may escort the former President’s family members during all funeral
ceremonies.
Under the supervision of the U.S. Military District of Washington, each branch
of the armed forces provides personnel and support to the funeral. For example, the
Armed Forces Honor Guard provides security for the former President’s remains
while they are in repose or are lying in state. A former President, as former
commander-in-chief, is also entitled to burial in the Arlington National Cemetery.40
Congress may adopt a resolution or otherwise authorize a deceased President to lie
in state in the Capitol Rotunda for a state funeral ceremony, followed by public,
closed casket viewing.
Following former President Gerald R. Ford’s death on December 26, 2006,
President George W. Bush announced by proclamation that U.S. flags on all federal
facilities be flown at half-staff. He also ordered that units of the armed forces render
suitable honors, as directed by the Secretary of Defense. Two days later, President
Bush issued E.O. 13421, which proclaimed January 2, 2007, a day of respect and
remembrance for the former President and ordered the closing of federal offices and
agencies. A funeral took place in the Capitol Rotunda on December 30, 2006, where
former President Ford lay in state, with subsequent services on January 2, 2007, at
Washington National Cathedral. Funeral services for the former President were
conducted on January 3, 2007, in Grand Rapids, MI, with interment at the Gerald R.
Ford Presidential Library and Museum.
38 (...continued)
benefits due to prior federal service or their Medicare eligibility.
39 The military has rendered military honors to former Presidents since the burial of George
Washington on Dec. 18, 1799, at Mount Vernon, VA.
40 Arlington National Cemetery, “A Guide to Burial at Arlington National Cemetery,” at
[http://www.arlingtoncemetery.org/funeral_information/guide.interment.html]. Two former
Presidents are buried in the National Cemetery: William Howard Taft and John F. Kennedy.

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Legislative History of the Former President’s Act
Chief executives leaving office prior to 1958 entered retirement pursuing
various occupations and receiving no federal assistance. By the end of the 19th
century, public sentiment reportedly dictated that it was not appropriate for former
Presidents to engage actively in business affairs. Suitable post-presidency
occupations included practicing law, obtaining a university professorship, or writing
for a newspaper or magazine.41 Some former Presidents, like Rutherford B. Hayes,
became successful entrepreneurs. Others, like Ulysses S. Grant, suffered financial
losses and had personal possessions confiscated.
Andrew Carnegie’s Offer. In 1912, discussions began in the U.S. Congress
about providing former Presidents and their widows with annual pensions. That year,
industrialist and philanthropist Andrew Carnegie reportedly announced his offer to
fund $25,000 annual pensions for all future former Presidents and their widows until
they were provided for by the federal government.42 The pensions were to be funded
by the Carnegie Foundation of New York, which was founded just a year earlier.43
The New York Times reported that many Members of Congress deemed it
inappropriate for a private corporation to provide pensions to former Presidents.
Former President William Howard Taft publicly declined to become the first
beneficiary of Carnegie’s former President’s pension fund when he left office in
1913.44
At the time, some Members of Congress and the public believed that Carnegie’s
proposal was intended to bring attention to the financial difficulties that some former
Presidents faced after leaving federal office.45 On that front, Carnegie’s gambit was
a success. In December 1912, two bills were introduced in Congress to provide
pensions for former Presidents and their widows. The proposed House legislation
(H.R. 26464) reportedly would have provided a $2,000 per month pension for former
Presidents, a $1,000 per month pension for widows, and a $200 per month pension
41 Marie B. Hecht, Beyond the Presidency (New York: Macmillian Publishing Co., Inc.,
1976), p. 214. According to Hecht, the practice of law was meant to be “limited to
important cases and restricted court appearances.” In 1912, the New York Times reported
that former President Rutherford B. Hayes saved money from his presidential salary and
returned to his home state of Ohio where he successfully raised chickens. Ulysses S. Grant,
however, retired to New York City and lost his money in a brokerage firm he ran with his
son. Some of Grant’s possessions were confiscated because of his financial turmoil. See
“Carnegie Pension to Ex-presidents; Bars Roosevelt,” New York Times, Nov. 22, 1912, pp.
1,4.
42 “Carnegie Pension to Ex-Presidents; Bars Roosevelt,” New York Times, Nov. 22, 1912,
p. 1.
43 Ibid.
44 “Taft Would Refuse a Carnegie Pension,” New York Times, Nov. 23, 1912, p. 1. As
former President, Mr. Taft taught law courses at Yale University, and later served as Chief
Justice of the U.S. Supreme Court.
45 “Carnegie Pension to Ex-Presidents; Bars Roosevelt,” New York Times, Nov. 22, 1912,
pp. 1;4.

CRS-10
for minor children under 21, if both parents were deceased.46 The bill was referred
to the House Committee on Pensions and was not reported. Legislation introduced
in the Senate (S. 7519) reportedly would have provided a $10,000 annual retirement
pension for the President as Commander in Chief of the Army. It would also have
provided an annual pension of $5,000 for the unmarried widows of former
Presidents.47 The bill was referred to the Senate Committee on Pensions, but was not
reported from committee.
Truman’s Finances. The idea to provide pensions to former Presidents was
largely forgotten until President Harry S Truman left office in 1953. In view of
former President Truman’s financial limitations in hiring an office staff to handle his
mail and requests for speeches once he left the White House, the Senate considered
legislation in 1955 to provide retirement benefits to former Presidents. The
legislation aimed “to maintain the dignity of that great office” and to prevent an ex-
president from engaging “in business or [an] occupation which would demean the
office he has held or capitalize upon it in any way deemed improper.”48 The proposal
passed the Senate, but was never acted on by the House Committee on Post Office
and Civil Service.49
President Truman’s financial difficulties were disclosed in a 1957 letter to
House Speaker Sam Rayburn that stated if such legislation were not enacted, former
President Truman would be forced to “go ahead with some contracts to keep ahead
of the hounds.”50 Having rejected several business proposals that were offered to him
when he left the presidency in 1953, former President Truman acknowledged his
income was largely based on the sale of his father’s farm and the proceeds from
publication of his memoirs. In 1958, Mr. Truman became the first former President
to grant a televised interview for “a substantial fee” when he appeared in 1958 on
Edward R. Murrow’s “See it Now.”51
46 “President’s Pension Bill In,” New York Times, Dec. 3, 1912, p. 3; and U.S. Congress,
House, Journal of the House of Representatives of the United States, 62nd Cong., 3rd sess.
(Washington: GPO, 1913), p. 6.
47 “For $10,000 Presidential Pension,” New York Times, Dec. 4, 1912, p. 5; and U.S.
Congress, Senate, Journal of the Senate of the United States of America, 62nd Cong., 3rd sess.
(Washington: GPO, 1912), p. 12.
48 Marie B. Hecht, Beyond the Presidency, p. 187. See also Statement of John Orlando
Pastore, “Retirement, Clerical Assistants, and Free Mailing Privileges for Former Presidents
of the United States,” remarks in the Senate, Congressional Record, vol. 101, May 5, 1955,
p. 5731.
49 “Retirement, Clerical Assistants, and Free Mailing Privileges for Former Presidents of the
United States,” remarks in the Senate, Congressional Record, vol. 101, May 5, 1955, p.
5731. See also U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Post Office and Civil Service,
Allowances for Former Presidents and Their Widows, 84th Cong., 1st sess., S.Rept. 205
(Washington: GPO, 1955), p. 3.
50 Ibid.
51 John W. Chambers, “Presidents Emeritus,” American Heritage, vol. 30, June-July 1979,
p. 18. Also available in U.S. Congress, Senate Committee on Post Office and Civil Service,
(continued...)

CRS-11
On January 14, 1957, Senator A.S. Mike Monroney introduced S. 607 to provide
an annual pension of $25,000, clerical assistants, and free mailing privileges for
former Presidents.52 An identical bill (H.R. 4401) was introduced by Representative
John McCormack, Majority Leader of the House, on February 5, 1957.53 Both bills
were strongly supported by Senator Lyndon B. Johnson, the Democratic leader in the
Senate.54
Passing the Former President’s Act. Congressional debate in favor of the
proposed pension legislation emphasized that the expenditures necessary to
implement a $25,000 annual pension and office expenses for former Presidents were
modest, “in consideration of the assurance it provides that former Presidents ... will
not want either for a matter of subsistence or for the necessary clerical employees to
answer the letters of the public.”55 The House Committee on Post Office and Civil
Service reported the bill, saying it would “avoid the possibility of indignities and of
deterioration in public and world regard for the office of the President of the United
States.”56 The amount of the proposed pension for former Presidents was based on
comparable pensions accorded five-star generals.57 Majority Leader John
McCormack stated that the proposed retirement allowances provided recognition and
gratitude for a former President’s service to his country, which did not end with his
term of office. He and others urged favorable consideration of S. 607 to authorize
retirement benefits for an outgoing President. Congressman Chester “Chet” Holifield
advocated for the bill by stressing the “burden” of duties placed on an ex-President
51 (...continued)
Allowances for Former Presidents and Their Widows, 84th Cong., 1st sess., S.Rept. 205
(Washington: GPO, 1955), pp. 166-171. According to Chambers, the public was largely
unaware that Truman received payment to appear on the program.
52 “Bills and Joint Resolutions Introduced,” Congressional Record, vol. 103, Jan. 14, 1957,
p. 480.
53 “Bills and Joint Resolutions Introduced,” Congressional Record, vol. 103, Feb. 15, 1957,
p. 1573.
54 Marie B. Hecht, Beyond the Presidency, pp. 187-188.
55 U.S. Congress, House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, Retirement, Staff
Assistants, and Mailing Privileges for Former Presidents and Annuities for Widows of
Former Presidents,
report to accompany S. 607, 85th Cong., 2nd sess., H.Rept. 2200
(Washington: GPO, 1958), p. 4. See also Senate Hearing Before the Committees on
Appropriations and Governmental Affairs, Cost of Former President to U.S. Taxpayers,
Fiscal Year 1980
, 96th Cong., 1st sess., (Washington: GPO, 1980), p. 236.
56 U.S. Congress, House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, Former Presidents —
Retirement, Clerical Assistants, and Free Mailing Privileges
, report to accompany S. 607,
85th Cong., 2nd sess., H.Rept. 2200. Also available in the U.S. Congress, Senate Hearing
Before the Committees on Appropriations and Governmental Affairs, Cost of Former
President to U.S. Taxpayers, Fiscal Year 1980
, 96th Cong., 1st sess., (Washington: GPO,
1980), p. 235.
57 “Retirement for Former Presidents,” remarks in the House, Congressional Record, vol.
104, July 30, 1958, p. 15624. See also Senate Hearing Before the Committees on
Appropriations and Governmental Affairs, Cost of Former Presidents to U.S. Taxpayers,
Fiscal Year 1980
, 96th Cong., 1st sess., (Washington: GPO, 1980), p. 247.

CRS-12
who can receive “100 to 400 letters a day” and “300 to 400 invitations a month to
speak.” Holifield added that passing the bill was “something that we, the greatest
Republic in the world, can do to show that we have respect for the office of President
and that we recognize the duties and responsibilities that he has to carry on after he
leaves that office.”58
S. 607, as introduced, provided that the compensation for an administrative
assistant, secretary, and other clerical assistants for each former President should not
exceed the aggregate amount authorized for the staff of the Senators from the least
populous state, which at the time was $100,000.59 During House debate on S. 607,
however, it was argued that the staffing provision of the proposed legislation could
involve salaries totaling as much as $120,000 for each former President’s office,
depending on the individual salary paid to each staff person. House and Senate
conferees believed that even $100,000 was excessive, and imposed a $50,000
limitation on the total compensation authorized for a former President’s office staff.60
The bill also originally authorized the GSA administrator to furnish suitable office
space for each former President in a federal building “at such place within the United
States as the former President shall specify.” The conference committee deleted the
reference to “federal building,” allowing GSA to furnish suitable office space for a
former President in non-federal office space.61
Despite strong support by the leadership of both the House and the Senate,
opposition to the concept of providing benefits to former Presidents persisted. In an
effort to bring their dissenting views “to the attention of the Members of the House
of Representatives and of the American public,” seven members of the House
Committee on Post Office and Civil Service prepared a formal report on why they
opposed authorizing presidential retirement benefits.62 They argued that no adequate
need or justification to provide such benefits existed, and that enactment of S. 607
would create a “separate entity” for former Presidents, with “an aura of official
standing” and a “wholly undefined relationship to the constitutional functions of the
[f]ederal [g]overnment.”63
Equally problematic for the seven dissenting Members was the “unprecedented
vagueness” of the proposed legislation’s provisions for staff and office allowances,
58 Ibid., p. 15632, and in Cost of Former Presidents to U.S. Taxpayers, p. 255.
59 “Retirement, Clerical Assistants, and Free Mailing Privileges for Former Presidents,”
House debate, Congressional Record, vol. 104, part 15, Aug. 21, 1958, pp. 18940-18941.
60 Ibid., p. 18941.
61 Ibid.
62 U.S. Congress, House Committee on Post Office and Civil Service, Retirement, Staff
Assistants, and Mailing Privileges for Former Presidents and Annuities for Widows of
Former Presidents,
report to accompany S. 607, 85th Cong., 2nd sess., H.Rept. 2200, Part 2,
(Washington: GPO, 1958), p. 1.
63 Ibid., pp. 1-2.

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which created “wide and dangerous loopholes.”64 The Members were also concerned
about the provision to provide each former President with suitable furnishings in an
office space that could be located anywhere within the United States. Such a broad
provision, the dissenting Members argued, took into account only the proposed costs
for providing allowances to the two surviving former Presidents — Herbert Hoover
and Truman — and overlooked potential future costs that could be incurred as
subsequent Presidents began receiving pension benefits after leaving office.65
S. 607, as amended, was approved by the Senate on August 16, 1958, passed by
the House on August 21, 1958, and signed into law by President Dwight D.
Eisenhower on August 25, 1958.66 As enacted, the Former Presidents Act (FPA)
provided each former President an annual taxable allowance of $25,000, payable
monthly by the Secretary of the Treasury. The GSA administrator was authorized by
the FPA to provide and fund an office staff and suitable office space, “appropriately
furnished and equipped,” at a location within the United States designated by a
former President. The former President’s staff would not be considered federal
employees, but would be entitled to health care and benefits of federal employees.
The FPA also authorized free mailing privileges for former Presidents. Pursuant to
the act, the widow of a former President also was provided an annual pension of
$10,000, if she waived the right to any annuity or pension authorized under any other
legislation.67
Post-presidential Lifespans
As noted in Table 2, Herbert Hoover lived for 31 years, 231 days after leaving
office, which was the longest post-presidential retirement period among the 30
Presidents who survived the presidency, but who have subsequently died,68 as well
as the three living former Presidents. The shortest presidential retirement period was
James K. Polk’s 103 days. On average, former Presidents who have subsequently
died have lived about 13 years (12 years, 339 days) after leaving office.
64 Ibid., p. 4.
65 Ibid., pp. 2-3.
66 72 Stat. 838.
67 In 1971, the FPA was amended (84 Stat. 1963) to provide the widow of a former
President a $20,000 taxable annual pension, to be paid monthly by the Secretary of the
Treasury. The widow’s pension begins on the day after the former President’s death, and
would end with death or remarriage before reaching 60 years of age. The FPA prohibits
pension benefits to a former President’s widow if he or she holds an appointive or elective
office or position in the federal government or District of Columbia and receives a rate of
pay other than a “nominal rate.” The former President’s widow must also waive the right
to any annuity or pension under any other legislation. Nancy Reagan and Betty Ford are the
remaining surviving widows, and, according to GSA, they did not waive the right to other
statutory annuities or pension and do not receive the annual pension.
68 Grover Cleveland served two non-consecutive terms, and is, therefore, included twice in
the table.

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Table 2. Retirement Period of Former Presidents
After Leaving Office
Date left
Retirement Period
President
Date of death
office
Days
Years
George Washington
March 4, 1797
December 14, 1799
1,015
2.78
John Adams
March 4, 1801
July 4, 1826
9,253
25.33
Thomas Jefferson
March 4, 1809
July 4, 1826
6,331
17.33
James Madison
March 4, 1817
June 28, 1836
7,056
19.32
James Monroe
March 4, 1825
July 4, 1831
2,313
6.33
John Quincy Adams
March 4, 1829
February 23, 1848
6,930
18.97
Andrew Jackson
March 4, 1837
June 8, 1845
3,018
8.26
Martin Van Buren
March 4, 1841
July 24, 1862
7,812
21.39
John Tyler
March 4, 1845
January 18, 1882
13,469
36.88
James K. Polk
March 4, 1849
June 15, 1849
103
0.28
Millard Fillmore
March 4, 1853
March 8, 1874
7,674
21.01
Franklin Pierce
March 4, 1857
October 8, 1869
4,601
12.60
James Buchanan
March 4, 1861
June 1, 1868
2,646
7.24
Andrew Johnson
March 4, 1869
July 31, 1875
2,340
6.41
Ulysses S. Grant
March 4, 1877
July 23, 1885
3,063
8.39
Rutherford B. Hayes
March 4, 1881
January 17, 1893
4,337
11.87
Chester A. Arthur
March 4, 1885
November 18, 1886
624
1.71
Grover Clevelanda
March 4, 1889
June 24, 1908
Benjamin Harrison
March 4, 1893
March 13, 1901
2,930
8.02
Grover Clevelandb
March 4, 1897
June 24, 1908
4,129
11.30
Theodore Roosevelt
March 4, 1909
January 6, 1919
3,595
9.84
William Howard Taft
March 4, 1913
March 8, 1930
6,213
17.01
Woodrow Wilson
March 4, 1921
February 3, 1924
1,066
2.92
Calvin Coolidge
March 4, 1929
January 5, 1933
1,403
3.84
Herbert Hoover
March 4, 1933
October 20, 1964
11,553
31.63
Harry S Truman
January 20, 1953 December 26, 1972
7,280
19.93
Dwight D. Eisenhower January 20, 1961 March 28, 1969
2,989
8.18
Lyndon B. Johnson
January 20, 1969 January 22, 1973
1,463
4.01
Richard Nixon
August 9, 1974
April 22, 1994
7,196
19.70
Gerald Ford
January 20, 1977 December 26, 2006
10,932
29.93
Jimmy Carter
January 20, 1981 —
Ronald Reagan
January 20, 1989 June 4, 2004
5,614
15.37
George H.W. Bush
January 20, 1993 —
Bill Clinton
January 20, 2001 —
Average retirement period after leaving office for deceased
4,964.9
13.59
presidents:
Source: Dates are available from The White House, “Presidents of the United States,” at
[http://www.whitehouse.gov/history/presidents/]. Length of life after leaving office computed by CRS.
Notes:
a. Grover Cleveland was elected to the presidency two different times, not in succession. He lived 11
years, 112 days after the end of his second term.
b. This figure excludes Grover Cleveland’s first term.

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Conclusions
Some Members of Congress have argued that the statutes governing benefits
for former Presidents are unclear and overly permissive.69 Other Members have said
that it is important to pay a pension to a former President to help maintain the dignity
of the office. On January 20, 2009, the term of George W. Bush’s presidency ends,
which will prompt increases in overall appropriations to former Presidents.
Given past congressional debates on the extent of financial assistance to former
Presidents, Congress may choose to consider legislation to clarify current laws
governing allowances for office space for former Presidents. Because existing laws
are unclear on whether GSA can reject a former President’s choice in office size or
location, rental payments currently range from $102,000 per year for President
Carter’s office to $516,000 for President Clinton’s (with a small portion occupied by
the U.S. Secret Service). Among the options likely to be considered are placing a
spending cap on office space for a former President, mandating that a former
President’s office be located in owned or leased federal office buildings, or leaving
current provisions as they are.
Additionally, Congress may consider modifying the length of time a former
President, his spouse, and his children are provided protection by the U.S. Secret
Service. Current statutes limit protection to George W. Bush and any future former
President to 10 years. Congress may choose to maintain this limit on protection, or
it may decide to either limit protection further or extend protection throughout a
former President’s lifetime.
69 In the 96th Congress — which spanned 1979 and 1980, two pieces of legislation related
to presidential retirement benefits were introduced: a concurrent resolution (H.Con.Res.
149) requesting that former President Richard Nixon pay the federal government $66,614.03
for non-security repairs made on his San Clemente estate paid for by the federal government,
and a house bill (H.R. 7144) that would have prevented pensions to former Presidents from
“exceeding 50 times the poverty level income for one urban family of four.” Neither bill
was reported from committee. In the 98th Congress, Senator Lawton Chiles, of Florida,
introduced legislation that would have prohibited former Presidents from using their federal
pension”for partisan political activities or income generating activities.” The bill’s report
noted that the increases in the staff and office allowances for former Presidents had greatly
exceeded Congress’s “original expectations” for the FPA. The “original intent” of the FPA
was to ensure former Presidents “dignified retired lives free from the need to
‘commercialize’ and demean their status as elder statesmen.” See U.S. Congress, Senate
Committee on Governmental Affairs, Former Presidents Facilities and Services Reform Act
of 1983
, report to accompany S. 563, 98th cong., 2nd sess., (Washington: GPO, 1983), p. 3.
The bill was reported from the Senate Committee on Governmental Affairs, but no further
Senate action was taken. Similar bills were introduced in the 97th (S. 1325), 98th (S. 563)
and 99th (S. 1047) Congresses, but none of the bills were reported from committee. In 1988,
Senator Chiles introduced another similar bill to limit presidential allowances (S. 1647).
S. 1647 would have limited former Presidents in how they could spend their pension, and
would have required them to report annually to Congress on how their pension was used.
Additionally, the bill would have limited Secret Service protection to five years from the day
a President left office. The bill was not reported from committee. In addition, the FY1994
Treasury, Postal Service, and General Government Appropriations Act contained a
provision that amended the FPA by limiting office allowances for former Presidents to a
five-year period, beginning in 1998. Legislation enacted in 1997, however, repealed this
provision, and restored lifetime staff and office allowances to former Presidents.