Years of Service to Net Bush a Hefty Pension

All those jobs President Bush held before he ran the country--congressman, U.N. ambassador, envoy to China, CIA director and vice president--add up to a good pension when he leaves the White House.

The annual allowance, based on 21 years of government service, is in addition to the presidential pension of $143,800 and Bush’s own personal income from a blind trust valued at $1.3 million.

As he pens his memoirs in Texas, Bush will enjoy the monetary benefits of four years in the House of Representatives, two years as U.N. ambassador, more than a year as envoy to China, two years as CIA director and eight years as vice president.

Separately, four years in the House would not entitle Bush to a congressional pension, according to the National Taxpayers’ Union, which says a minimum of five years is required.

But the pension is calculated on “all government service,” including Bush’s eight years as vice president, when he also was the president of the Senate, said Mary Ann Maloney, a spokeswoman at the Office of Personnel Management.

When Bush departs on Jan. 20, he will submit to OPM the paperwork on his congressional pension, and “a formula will kick in” to determine his yearly annuity, Maloney said.

Bush’s average highest salary was $104,567 during his tenure as vice president and based on the prescription, his congressional pension works out to about $44,000 annually.

The pension for former presidents is equal to that of the current salary of a Cabinet secretary, and this year the amount is $143,800.

The federal government also provides for the rental of office space and staff salaries for the remainder of a President’s life. The salaries can total $150,000 a year for the first 2 1/2 years, and $96,000 a year after that.

All told, Bush’s annual pension will amount to $187,800, far less than the golden parachutes given to chief executives at some of the nation’s major corporations but a handsome figure nonetheless when compared to his $200,000 salary as President.

Personally, Bush reported taxable income of $197,000 in 1991 on his blind trust, which was valued at $1.3 million and cash on deposit, including individual retirement accounts for him and his wife, Barbara, of $111,000.

The President also will be able to continue the health plan he joined under the Federal Employees Health Benefits program.