House Rejects Amendment to Reduce White House Press Secretary Salary to $1

The House shot down an amendment from Republicans that proposed lowering White House Press Secretary Karine Jean-Pierre's salary to $1.

The amendment was voted down in a 257-165-1 decision, with more than 50 House Republicans choosing not to support the amendment and one member voting present.

Rep. Claudia Tenney, R-N.Y., introduced the amendment and accused Jean-Pierre of selling "bold-faced lies" in a House floor speech.

"The American people should not be forced to pay the salary of an individual who dispenses boldfaced lies to the American people," Tenney said.

The congresswoman accused Jean-Pierre of violating the Hatch Act with her use of the term "MAGA Republicans." The Hatch Act limits members of the executive branch from advocating for political or commercial causes.

Tenney also accused Jean-Pierre of being an "election denier," an accusation the press secretary has responded to in the past. In a 2016 tweet, she blasted Donald Trump's presidential victory and referred to the election as "stolen." She also said Stacey Abrams' gubernatorial loss to Georgia Gov. Brian Kemp in similar fashion.

"Governor Kemp won the election in Georgia. I have been clear about that," she told Fox News' Peter Doocy last year. "I have said President Trump won the election in 2016, and I have been clear about that. What we are talking about right now is, let's not forget, what happened on Jan. 6th, 2021. We saw an insurrection, a mob, that was incited by the person who occupied [the White House]… It was an attack on our democracy."

The attempt to slash Jean-Pierre's salary follows House Republicans passing an amendment to slash Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's salary to $1.