Former Presidents Act

The Former Presidents Act is a U.S. federal law passed in 1958, which compensation and other benefits for former President of the United States in that regard.

History

Since the creation of the Office of the U.S. President with the enactment of the U.S. Constitution in 1789 no pension entitlements for President were provided by law. To ensure that no U.S. president had the end of his term of office be entitled to further compensation. So it was not uncommon in the 19th century that the President, the White House left poorer than they had entered it. Since many presidents lived even after the end of their term in sound financial conditions and were well-off, a discussion on a possible claim to pension payments did not seem necessary. A bill introduced in 1912, which provided pension benefits for ex-president was rejected in Congress. In the public eye the matter moved until the mid- 1950s, as the economic situation of 1953 divorced from the incumbent President Harry S. Truman were known. Truman's limited financial resources allowed him not to entertain a private office. He had only received after the end of his presidency, slightly more than $ 100 pension funds from his time in the armed forces. After becoming aware of this fact, a law on salaries of former President was advised in Congress again.

The draft law was adopted in 1958 by both houses of the U.S. Congress and signed by President Dwight D. Eisenhower. It provided a remuneration for former Presidents and granted these benefits, such as setting up an office, health insurance, pension and personal protection by the Secret Service for life. Also, children under 16 years and the spouse of the President are entitled to personal protection. This is true even after the death of a former president, for example, was the former First Lady Lady Bird Johnson until her death in 2007, protected by the Secret Service, even though it had in 1969 died from the president divorced husband, Lyndon B. Johnson in 1973.

Once in force, the surviving President Harry S. Truman and Herbert Hoover fell under the law. Dwight D. Eisenhower was the first president to immediately after the end of his term of office was entitled to pension payments. Since he received all the incoming president, apart from the murdered in the Official John F. Kennedy, who provided Former Presidents Act benefits.

2012 was the amount of the pension compensation, according to the U.S. Treasury 199,700 U.S. dollars.

Modifications

In 1994, an amendment to the law was adopted which limited the protection of persons in a period of ten years after the end of the Presidency. Since this modification came into force in 1997, it was not for the reigning from 1993 to 2001, President Bill Clinton, because Clinton already prior to 1997 held the office of president. This amendment, however, was reversed in 2013 by President Barack Obama signed a bill to in January 2013. This means that both Obama and his predecessor George W. Bush are entitled to lifelong personal protection.

In 1985, however, refrained from Richard Nixon eleven years after the end of his presidency as the only ex-president voluntarily on personal protection.