Obama 5 Percent of Salary Returned to Treasury

Obama 5% of salary: U.S. President Barack Obama speaks to the media after meeting with Congressional leaders, announcing sequestration has taken affect, at the White House, March 1, 2013, in Washington, D.C. On April 3, 2013, the president's office confirmed that Obama would return 5 percent of his salary in solidarity with Americans affected by sequestration. (Mark Wilson/Getty Images)

President Barack Obama’s office confirmed Wednesday that the president would return 5 percent of his salary—$20,000—as about 700,000 civilian workers face mandatory furloughs this summer amid other effects of sequestration cuts, according to USA Today.

“The President has decided that to share in the sacrifice being made by public servants across the federal government that are affected by the sequester, he will contribute a portion of his salary back to the Treasury,” said a White House official in a statement on Wednesday, reported Time magazine.  

With the $85 billion in automatic cuts triggered by the sequester gradually affecting more and more Americans, other high-level officials are also taking pay cuts in solidarity.

Defense Secretary Chuck Hagel, Deputy Defense Secretary Ashton Carter, Housing and Urban Development Secretary Shaun Donovan, and Deputy Secretary Maurice Jones have all taken voluntary cuts, according to USA Today.