Clinton (top), Rice: Obscure rule

New York, Dec. 12: Hillary Rodham Clinton will earn $4,700 less if confirmed as secretary of state than Condoleezza Rice, her predecessor, due to an obscure rule on compensation for public officials.

Congress has lowered the salary for America’s most senior diplomatic post to keep Hillary Clinton’s nomination within the US Constitution.

A section of the latter called the Emoluments Clause states that no member of Congress can be appointed to a government post if that job’s pay was increased during the lawmaker’s current term.

Hillary Clinton, a New York senator, might have been ineligible to serve as secretary of state because she was serving in Congress when Rice’s salary was raised to its current level of $191,300.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives and Senate dealt with the issue by putting the secretary of state’s salary back to $186,600, its level in January 2007 when Hillary Clinton began her second Senate term. Even at the lower rate, it is more money than her Senate salary. Senators now make $169,300 and are expected to receive a raise to $174,000 next year. Barack Obama nominated Hillary to the post earlier this month.