House Republicans have made a move to significantly reduce the salary of Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg to just $1. This decision comes as lawmakers engage in debates over spending bills in anticipation of the government funding deadline next week.
The initiative to cut Buttigieg’s salary was presented by Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) and was approved through a voice vote as an amendment to the 2024 Transpiration and Housing and Urban Development spending bill.
Greene expressed her rationale for the salary reduction on X, the platform formerly known as Twitter, stating, “Pete Buttigieg doesn’t do his job. It’s all about fake photo ops and taxpayer-funded private jet trips to accept LGBTQ awards for him. I’m pleased that my amendment passed, but he doesn’t deserve a single penny.”
However, for this amendment to take effect, the entire bill must be approved by the full House, and it is highly unlikely to gain approval from the Senate.
This salary reduction proposal was made possible by the reintroduction of the Holman Rule, which grants members the authority to propose amendments to appropriations bills that decrease the salaries of specific federal workers or programs to just $1, essentially defunding them. This rule was reinstated in January when House Republicans adopted a rules package after Rep. Kevin McCarthy’s (R-Calif.) bid for speakership.
This is not the first time that Greene and other Republicans have employed this rule to slash salaries and target spending by the Biden administration. Greene previously offered an amendment to reduce the pay of Defense Secretary Lloyd Austin in September.
House Republicans are currently divided on how to prevent a government shutdown, which would commence in slightly over a week. It remains uncertain whether the conference will unite behind new Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
During a House GOP conference meeting on Tuesday, several proposals were discussed, but many of them would face significant opposition in the Senate, which is pursuing its own strategy.
Senate leaders and appropriators are contemplating the option of combining the remaining nine Senate appropriations bills into a comprehensive “maxi-bus” package.
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