H.R. 3739 would decrease the pensions of former Presidents, increase the pensions of surviving spouses of former Presidents, and limit the allowances provided to each former President for staff, office space, and other related expenses.[1]
CBO estimates that implementing the legislation would reduce outlays for those activities by $7 million over the 2018-2022 period, assuming that appropriations are reduced by the necessary amounts. Enacting H.R. 3739 also would decrease direct spending; therefore pay-as-you-go procedures apply. Enacting the bill would not affect revenues.
CBO estimates that enacting H.R. 3739 would not increase net direct spending or on-budget deficits in any of the four consecutive 10-year periods beginning in 2028.
H.R. 3739 contains no intergovernmental mandates as defined in the Unfunded Mandates Reform Act (UMRA) and would impose no costs on state, local, or tribal governments.
H.R. 3739 would impose a private-sector mandate, as defined in UMRA, by decreasing the pensions of former Presidents. The cost of complying with the mandate would be the total decrease in pension income earned by former Presidents (who left office before enactment of this bill) and would fall well below the annual threshold established in UMRA for private-sector mandates ($156 million in 2017, adjusted annually for inflation).
