"Deficit hawks might be alarmed by the news that Interior Secretary Ken Salazar plans to step down. Salazar, after all, was a tremendous bargain for taxpayers: Thanks to a constitutional provision, he was paid only $180,000 a year, about 20 grand less than most other Cabinet secretaries (the Constitution bars legislators from holding positions in the executive branch for which they raised the salaries, and Salazar voted to hike Cabinet pay when he was in the Senate. So, under the dodge known as “The Saxbe Fix,” he has to make do with the previous salary level.

It’s unlikely that his successor, whomever that may be, will face similar constraints, so the new guy (or gal?) will cost a bit more.

But there’s reason for those who fear for the nation’s debt to take heart. According to the Loop’s back-of-the-envelope calculations, the federal purse will still come out way ahead in the changing of the Cabinet guard during President Obama’s second term. That’s because we’ll wind up saving millions when we no longer have to pay for CIA Director Leon Panetta to fly back and forth from Washington to his California home."

Get the Story:
In the Loop: Ken Salazar, and his bolo tie, let loose (The Washington Post 1/17)

Related Stories:
Interior Secretary Ken Salazar to leave Obama administration (1/16)
Three Cabinet secretaries to stay -- Salazar still an unknown (1/10)
Speculation begins on makeup of Obama's second term Cabinet (11/08)
President Barack Obama wins a second term in the White House (11/07)