Q&A on the News

Q: Why does Michelle Obama still have a staff ? Are the American taxpayers paying for her rental space and her employees? Have other first ladies maintained a staff? – L. Louise Ward, Cumming

A: Michelle Obama will not return to private anonymity after the White House. As a former first lady, there will “be a big public demand” for Obama, her longtime deputy chief of staff Melissa Winter told the Washington Post in January.

“After a long break, Obama plans to get to work with a small staff that will move into office space in Washington,” the Post reported.

Staffs are often employed by former presidents and first ladies to handle correspondence, scheduling requests and other demands.

While former presidents are eligible for an annual pension equal to the pay for a Cabinet secretary ($205,700 in 2016) and are given allowances to establish, furnish and staff their official office anywhere in the United States, former first ladies do not receive a pension. (Presidential widows, however, are eligible for a $20,000 pension per year.)

Former first ladies do receive taxpayer-funded benefits like Secret Service protection and up to $500,000 per year in official travel expenses, according to the National Taxpayers Union Foundation.

Former first ladies and presidents often earn substantial incomes by speaking and writing memoirs.