White House Paid $1.3M in Staff Raises in Past Year

The White House's payroll is down slightly — and so is its head count — over the past year, but that hasn't stopped the Obama administration from handing out $1.3 million in raises to employees.

Twenty-two staffers receive the maximum salary of $172,200 each, The Washington Post reports.

Overall, 456 people work at 1600 Pennsylvania Avenue — four fewer than last year, according to the annual report on White House salaries.

The payroll is slightly more than $37.78 million, down by about $83,000 from the year before.

But the administration doled out $1.3 million in raises to 227 employees, with the biggest going to Chase Cushman, a scheduler. He got a big bump in title — to deputy assistant to the president — and a raise to match, from $68,000 a year to $130,000 a year, the Post reports.

Two other presidential assistants, Anita Decker Breckenridge and Kristie Canegallo, were promoted to deputy chief of staff, USA Today reports. Their salaries went up $52,200, to the $172,200 maximum.

Josh Earnest, who was recently promoted to White House press secretary, saw his salary go up 28 percent, from $135,000 to $172,200.

The $172,200 maximum salary for White House employees was frozen by President Barack Obama in 2010. U.S. presidents have made $400,000 a year since 2001, and members of Congress froze their salaries at $174,000 in 2009.

Here are the highest-paid members of the Obama administration, according to USA Today:

• Antony Blinken, assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser.
• Anita Breckenridge, assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for operations.
• Kristie Canegallo, assistant to the president and deputy chief of staff for implementation.
• Joshua Earnest, assistant to the president and press secretary.
• Warren Eggleston, assistant to the president and counsel to the president.
• Katherine Fallon, assistant to the president and director of the office of legislative affairs.
• Valerie Jarrett, senior adviser and assistant to the president for intergovernmental affairs and public engagement.
• Broderick Johnson, assistant to the president and cabinet secretary.
• Katy Kale, assistant to the president for management and administration.
• Cody Keenan, assistant to the president and director of speech writing.
• Denis McDonough, assistant to the president and chief of staff.
• Lisa Monaco, assistant to the president for homeland security and counter-terrorism and deputy national security adviser.
• Cecilia Muñoz, assistant to the president and director of the domestic policy council.
• Jennifer Palmieri, assistant to the president and director of communications.
• Howard Pfeiffer, assistant to the president and senior adviser.
• John Podesta, counselor to the president.
• Benjamin Rhodes, assistant to the president and deputy national security adviser for strategic communications and speech writing.
• Susan Rice, assistant to the president and national security adviser.
• David Simas, assistant to the president and director of the office of political strategy and outreach.
• Christina Tchen, assistant to the president and chief of staff to the first lady.
• Danielle White, assistant to the president and director of scheduling and advance.
• Jeffrey Zients, assistant to the president for economic policy and director of the National Economic Council.

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