Quickie: Emolument Clause and the Saxbe-fix in the Sauce

Some folks have been talking about HRC’s ineligibility to serve as SoS due to that obscure thingy in the Constitution called the “emolument clause” which says that a member of Congress may not be appointed to a government position if the compensation rate for that position was increased during his or her term.

For those who still harbor any doubts that Congress can actually get something done when it wants to, here is proof in the sauce. Apparently late on Wednesday, Congress cut the pay for the Secretary of State by about $4,700 (about 6 Ferragamo shoes, btw).


In 2006, the salary for cabinet posts was increased from $186,600 to $191,300. So what Congress did this week was Saxbe-fixed this matter; they simply rolled back the SoS salary to $186K, the cabinet pay before HRC’s most recent election.


Harry Reid introduced the joint resolution (S.J. Res. 46); which was read twice, considered, read the third time, and passed. (Big wow! Please, can we do this with the overseas pay gap, too?). This joint resolution shall take effect at 12:00 p.m. on January 20, 2009.

And that my friends is what I’d call excellent timing!