In the midst of a partial government shutdown that has left thousands of federal employees without pay, top Trump administration officials ― including Vice President Mike Pence ― may be cashing in on substantial salary raises. Salaries for hundreds of top government executives have been frozen since 2013, when Congress enacted a pay freeze amid debate surrounding the fiscal cliff bill. The pay freeze lapsed last month after lawmakers failed to reach a consensus on spending bills for multiple federal agencies. The raises may be an intended outcome of the shutdown, as Republicans in November were attempting to tie a pay increase for civilian federal employees to a lift on the pay freeze for top government executives. President Donald Trump told lawmakers in August he wanted to scrap the annual pay raise for civilian federal employees, arguing the nation’s budget couldn’t finance it.

Source: Huffington Post January 04, 2019 19:53 UTC