article_snippet: Annual payments to former U.S. chief executives are guaranteed by the Former Presdients Act of 1958, a law passed in response to the predicament of former president Harry S. Truman, who fell on hard times after he moved from Washington back to Missouri.
article_snippet: At the time, Truman had to take out a personal loan from a Missouri bank to pay Truman bills.
article_snippet: Today a law provides payments to Clinton, Bush, Bush father George W. Bush, and Jimmy Carter.
article_snippet: Former US presidents receive millions of dollars over the course of Former US presidents post-office years, including living examples Bill Clinton, Jimmy Carter, George W. Bush and George W. Bush father George  H.W. Bush .
article_snippet: The legislation, which never received a positive committee vote, would have capped the government's total annual spending on former presidents to $400,000 each.
article_snippet: And that amount would have been reduced dollar-for-dollar by any money they earned.
article_snippet: Under those guidelines, Clinton would have received nothing during most of Clinton post-presidency.
article_snippet: Nobody wants our former presidents living the remainder of our former presidents lives destitute," Chaffetz said when Chaffetz floated Chaffetz three years ago, 'but the fact is none of our former presidents are poor.' '
article_snippet: There's little reason why American taxpayers should be subsidizing these former presidents when American taxpayers're doing fine on American taxpayers own.'
article_snippet: Jimmy Carter, who left office in 1981, spends the least among the four living former presidents.
article_snippet: Former Presidents' Pensions, Office Allowances, And Other Federal Benefits uploaded by DailyMail.com .
highlights_snippet: The Former Presdients Act provides pensions and office expenses for Clinton, both Bushes and Jimmy Carter .
  