Report: Bush's $80K phone bill

Taxpayers picked up the tab for Bill Clinton’s $579,000 office rent and George W. Bush’s $80,000 phone bill in 2010, according to a report Tuesday that notes Americans ponied up more than $3 million of expenses for the country’s four surviving former presidents.

George W. Bush may have raked in $15 million from speeches alone in 2010, but he still expensed $1.3 million to taxpayers, including $80,000 in phone bills, ABC News’s Jonathan Karl reported in “Spinners and Winners.” And Bill Clinton also made it big on the speech circuit — bringing in $10 million — and billed more than $1 million in expenses to taxpayers. Jimmy Carter, meanwhile, received over half a million in expenses, including $15,000 for postage, and taxpayers also paid $830,000 for George H.W. Bush.


Rep. Jason Chaffetz (R-Utah) is proposing a bill to end taxpayers’ funding expenses for any ex-president who brings in more than $400,000 per year. Under his proposal, presidents would receive a $200,000 annual pension and $200,000 in annual expenses if they make less than that combined, ABC News reported.

“Look, presidents should get a compensation package. They should get a retirement, and they should get some expenses,” Chaffetz told Karl. “But if they’re going to go out on the trail, and they’re going to give speeches, write books and make money, then there comes a point where you say, OK, the taxpayer shouldn’t be responsible for also footing the bill for the office expenses, and the telephone, and paper, and the personnel to man those offices.”

“Does President Bush really need $80,000 a year for his telephones?” Chaffetz asked. “That’s a lot of phones and a lot of phone bills.”

ABC contacted the offices of all the former presidents and reported that none would comment, but did point out that Congress is responsible for stopping such payments. George W. Bush’s spokesperson confirmed to POLITICO it would not be commenting on the report.