Trump offers to pay stranded NASA astronauts' overtime salary from his own pocket
PTC Web Desk: US president Donald Trump has expressed willingness to personally cover the overtime pay for astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore, who recently returned to Earth after an unplanned nine-month stay aboard the International Space Station (ISS).
The duo was originally scheduled for a brief one-week mission in June 2023, but technical issues with Boeing’s Starliner spacecraft left them stranded in space for an additional 278 days. Upon their return on March 19, concerns were raised over whether they would be compensated for their extended stay.
When questioned about the matter at the White House, Trump expressed surprise, stating, “Nobody's ever mentioned this to me. If I have to, I will pay it out of my own pocket.”
According to NASA’s policy, astronauts, including Sunita Williams and Wilmore, do not receive overtime pay as they are federal employees with fixed salaries. They are only entitled to a daily incidental allowance of $5 (₹430) for the extra time spent in space. This means their total additional pay for 278 days amounts to $1,430 (₹1,22,980.50).
Reacting to this, Trump remarked, “Is that all? That’s not a lot for what they had to go through.”
Astronauts working for NASA adhere to a 40-hour workweek and do not receive overtime, weekend, or holiday pay. Sunita Williams, a seasoned astronaut, falls under the GS-15 pay grade, earning an annual salary of $152,258 (₹1.30 crore) along with health insurance and housing benefits.
Trump lauds Elon Musk for bringing astronauts back
Trump also took the opportunity to praise Elon Musk, crediting the tech mogul for facilitating the astronauts’ safe return via SpaceX’s Dragon capsule.
"If we didn’t have Elon, they could have been stuck up there much longer. Who else is going to get them?" Trump stated, while criticizing the Biden administration, alleging that it had failed to prioritize the astronauts’ rescue.
- With inputs from agencies
