Washington – Secretary of State John Kerry will donate five percent of his annual salary to charity, joining President Barack Obama and other officials in a show of solidarity with government workers forced to take unpaid leave as a result of deep spending cuts.
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Kerry would contribute $9,175 from his $183,500 State Department salary “to an appropriate charity that will benefit employees of the State Department,” department spokeswoman Victoria Nuland told reporters on Thursday.
The funds would likely go to charities that support U.S. diplomats who have been injured or killed in the line of duty, or that support children of employees, she said.
“We’re still looking at the best choice and whether all of the money will go to one, or whether it’ll be spread” between different charities, Nuland said.
Defense and non-defense discretionary spending has shrunk across the board as a result of reductions under a process known as sequestration. To maintain critical functions, many agencies are making workers take unpaid leave, or furloughs.
Obama’s self-imposed 5 percent pay cut from his $400,000 salary would be effective from March 1, when the spending cuts began, and would last through the end of December, an administration official said on Wednesday.
Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel will give back the equivalent of 14 days of pay to the government, about $10,750, his spokesman said on Tuesday.
Before taking up his post as the top U.S. diplomat early this year, Kerry was ranked as the richest member of the U.S. Senate, with a net worth estimated in filings for 2011 at between $184 million and $288 million.
Kerry, 69, inherited money from his mother’s family and is married to the widow of a wealthy heir to the H.J. Heinz Company.
Generous! He donated $10k out of his $200m net worth. Isn’t that 2 basis points? Real sport!
How generous. Not.
Chuna could not have put it better. ALL State Department employees are “positively encouraged” to joining what amounts to the State ‘Gemach’. However, please bear in mind that this fund does not cater exclusively to people of one religious group or another..
i also have some good ideas and i can even suggest them without pay.
As typical socialist democrats go, that 5% is probably the most he’s ever given to charity in his life! Must’ve killed him to do it.
It’s such a joke the whole thing. If he and Obama really wanted to save taxpayers some money, just cut down on one SUV….. just one SUV from their motorcade and it would save a whole lot more. I can’t believe that its necessary for Kerry or even the prez to have so many cars to drive them around to the point that one less car would put then at risk. It’s an absolute waste of taxpayer money.
How generous 5 % from a big paycheck –.When a poor person needs every penny that comes by to survive. Let those big shots live on .s.s. checks for a while and see how they can manage .Let them go without their pills that they cant get because it’s too expensive What a disgrace for the U.S.A. What a bunch of idiots we have here that vote for these phony politicos