Viral Facebook post: Retired U.S. presidents and members of Congress collect full salaries “for life."
PolitiFact's ruling: False
Here's why: Elected officials’ post-retirement benefits have long been the target of false or misleading claims.
PolitiFact has repeatedly debunked claims about benefits available to executive and legislative officials when they’re finished serving.
An old post with more such claims is regaining traction on Facebook.
"Salary of retired U.S. presidents … $450,000 FOR LIFE," the image in the post reads.
Originally published in 2019, the post goes on to quote other salaries "for life" for lawmakers: $174,000 for House and Senate members; $223,500 for the speaker of the House; and $194,400 for other congressional leaders.
It continues with a comparison:
"Average salary of a soldier DEPLOYED IN AFGHANISTAN … $38,000," the image reads. "Average income for seniors on Social Security … $12,000. I think we found where the cuts should be made!"
The post, which people were sharing and commenting on as recently as Jan. 13, was flagged as part of Facebook’s efforts to combat false news and misinformation on its News Feed.
The post quotes numbers that align with the current salaries of officials in office. But it makes a big error by attaching the phrase "for life." Elected officials at the federal level can qualify for pensions after they leave office, but they’re not entitled to their full salaries for life.
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