House Approves Cut in Funds for Ex-Presidents

The House has passed legislation that would cut off funding for the offices and travel expenses of former presidents after five years, plus impose a five-year limit on such funding for future presidents when they leave office.

The cut, which would not affect the Secret Service protection extended to former presidents, was included in a $22.7-billion appropriations bill covering 1994 spending by the Treasury Department, the Postal Service and the Executive Office.

The measure passed the House on Tuesday by a vote of 263 to 153.

While the bill incorporates a number of spending cuts proposed by the White House, the total appropriation approved by the House exceeded what the Clinton Administration requested by $723 million--an increase largely attributable to a decision by lawmakers to provide $688 million more than the White House sought in payments for federal retiree health insurance.

The bill appropriates $268 million in fiscal year 1994 for the Executive Office--$53 million less than the previous year.

But it was the spending habits of former presidents that consumed much of the debate as lawmakers argued over an amendment that would have eliminated $1.6 million in funding for the office staffs of all former chief executives, except George Bush.

Although that amendment was defeated, 258 to 160, the bill does include a proposal, adopted last week at the start of the debate, to cut off the office and travel allowances for former presidents five years after they leave office.

The five former presidents who by law now receive the allowances for life would also lose them after another five years.

While the former presidents each get an annual pension of $148,400, the other allowances they receive vary widely, according to the budget requests each of them submits to Congress.

Usually, the requests are approved routinely, but the added pressure this year for budget cuts led to their re-examination by lawmakers.

Although the 1994 requests were approved, Democrats criticized former President Ronald Reagan’s allowances as excessive when compared to those of former President Jimmy Carter.

If the bill is not changed by the Senate, for instance, Carter will receive travel funding next year of $2,100, compared to $46,200 for Reagan. Reagan’s office budget covering rent, telephones, mailings and other costs totals $361,496--more than four times the $83,496 requested by Carter.

Including pensions, the bill would allocate a total of $483,002 to former President Richard Nixon in 1994, $465,564 to Gerald R. Ford, $469,006 to Carter, $781,808 to Reagan and $611,000 to Bush.