US President Donald Trump on Friday said he would pay out of his pockets the overtime for astronauts Barry "Butch" Wilmore and Sunita "Suni" Williams, who returned to Earth this week after being stuck in space for nine months. A journalist highlighted that Wilmore and Williams only got USD 5 a day per day. For 286 days, that is USD 1,430 in extra pay and asked if he (Trump) would do anything about it.
To which Trump responded, "Well, nobody's ever mentioned this to me. If I have to, I'll pay it out of my own pocket...That's not a lot for what they had to go through."
However, according to NASA rules, Williams and Wilmore, who returned to Earth on Tuesday after spending 286 days in space - 278 days longer than anticipated after their spacecraft malfunctioned - will not get any overtime for their unexpectedly long stay. They got USD 5 a day for "incidentals".
Trump thanked Elon Musk
A rescue crew brought Williams and Wilmore back to the Earth this week on a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule. During the interaction, Trump also thanked Elon Musk, the head of Tesla, SpaceX and the leader of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE). "Think if we don't have him?" Trump said. "If we don't have Elon.
They could be up there a long time. Who is else is going to get them?" He noted that the "body starts to deteriorate" after a few months orbiting in space.
Sunita Williams salary
In addition to their annual salary — about USD 152,258, according to NASA — Wilmore and Williams received around USD 1,430 for their 286 days in space. Their transportation, meals and lodging are covered, and like other federal employees on work trips, they receive a daily “incidentals” allowance.