'It's a joke': Peruvians outraged after president doubles her salary
LIMA (Reuters) -Peruvian President Dina Boluarte will double her salary to the equivalent of some $10,000 per month, angering many Peruvians who said the money would be better spent on alleviating poverty.
The economy minister announced late on Wednesday that the salary of Boluarte - whose approval ratings are among the lowest of any leader worldwide - had been increased to 35,568 soles ($10,067), about 30 times higher than Peru's minimum wage.
The president's salary had previously been fixed at 15,600 soles ($4,400), a level introduced in 2006 when former President Alan Garcia reduced it from 42,000 soles.
The minister said the salary hike had already been approved by the cabinet and should come into effect immediately. The government justified the increase by saying that compared with 12 counterparts across Latin America, her prior pay ranked 11th, above only that of the Bolivian president.
Reuters could not determine the accuracy of the government's ranking, but an evaluation by the Rio Times last year showed Latin American presidents' salaries ranging between $3,000 and $22,000, averaging at around $9,600.
However, Peruvians that Reuters spoke to were not impressed.
"It's a joke," pensioner Rolando Fonseca said outside a newspaper stand in the capital Lima. "There is extreme poverty all over Peru and the president needs to set an example."
Peru's economy has rebounded over the past two years, following a recession triggered by anti-government protests early in Boluarte's term. However, poverty rates, which worsened during the COVID-19 pandemic, remain close to 30%.
Boluarte is set to finish her term in July 2026, after presidential elections scheduled for next April.
"She is about to leave and there is no need for her to increase her salary, she should be helping hospitals and sick children," said Carmen Juarez, a Lima housewife.
Boluarte came to power in late 2022 after her predecessor Pedro Castillo was removed and arrested after attempting to dissolve Congress. Her approval ratings hover around 2% to 4%, according to recent polls by Datum and Ipsos Peru.
She has faced accusations of corruption, including allegations of illicit enrichment involving Rolex watches. She was also investigated over her role in overseeing the police and military reaction to the anti-government protests, in which over 50 people died.
Boluarte, 63, denies any wrongdoing.
Repeated efforts to impeach Boluarte have been stymied by conservative political parties that support her. Peru has had six presidents since 2018, and three are currently behind bars.
Opposition lawmaker Jaime Quito said he plans to promote an initiative in Congress to annul the pay rise.
"This is a mockery to a country that is facing such serious problems," he said.
($1 = 3.5330 soles)
Hashtags
Try Our AI Features
Explore what Daily8 AI can do for you:
Comments
No comments yet...
Related Articles
USA Today
16 minutes ago
- USA Today
'Attack on rural America': Kentucky governor hits Medicaid cuts in Trump's megabill
Kentucky Gov. Andy Beshear argued the Medicaid cuts in President Donald Trump's sweeping tax policy bill will have a 'devastating' impact on rural communities. 'It's the single worst piece of legislation I've seen in my lifetime, and it is a congressional Republican and presidential attack on rural America,' the Democrat told CNN's Dana Bash in a July 6 interview on "State of the Union." He said around 200,000 people in Kentucky are could lose their healthcare under the bill, which implements new work requirements for Medicaid and a raft of other restrictions that healthcare experts argue will trigger hospital closures in rural areas. Lawmakers included a $50 billion fund in the legislation to prop up these hospitals, but experts say it won't be enough to make up for the $155 billion expected decline in federal Medicaid spending in rural areas. Beshear, who is considered a potential presidential candidate for the party in 2028, said up to 35 rural hospitals in Kentucky could be at risk of closing as a result of the bill. 'What that means is our economy takes a huge hit,' he said. 'You lose 200 jobs from doctors and nurses and orderlies and all of a sudden the coffee shop does worse, the bank doesn't have as many folks coming in. This is going to hit rural America right in the face.' Still, Republicans have argued that the biggest expected cut to Medicaid – the implementation of work requirements for able-bodied adults – is popular among voters, and other changes such as more frequent eligibility checks are common sense options. Democrats "unfortunately seem to think that poor people are stupid. I don't think poor people are stupid. I think they have agency, and I think to have them register twice a year for these benefits is not a burden," Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent also said on CNN on July 6. "People who want to infantilize the poor and people who need these Medicaid benefits are alarmist.' Republicans in Congress passed the massive tax-cut and spending package on July 3. Trump signed it into law on July 4. It was the key goal for Trump and Republican leadership in Congress, which captured a trifecta during the 2024 elections and has used that political muscle to force what they've dubbed their "One Big, Beautiful Bill" through both chambers at a rapid-fire pace. The passage came despite deep reservations within their own party and unanimous opposition from Democrats who see it as a ticket to winning back congressional majorities in 2026.
The Hill
17 minutes ago
- The Hill
Social Security no taxes message on Trump bill raises eyebrows
President Trump's 'big, beautiful bill' is sending mixed messages about whether most Americans are required to pay federal income taxes on their Social Security benefits. 'It's a mixed bag for seniors, because some seniors will get some tax relief; the cost of that, though, is borne by the entire Social Security system,' Alex Lawson, executive director of left-leaning advocacy organization Social Security Works, told USA Today. The bill, which Trump signed into law on Saturday, included a $6,000 tax deduction for Americans 65 or older. After Congress passed the bill on Thursday, the Social Security Administration said the legislation 'delivers long-awaited tax relief to millions of older Americans.' 'The new law includes a provision that eliminates federal income taxes on Social Security benefits for most beneficiaries, providing relief to individuals and couples,' the Thursday press release said. 'Additionally, it provides an enhanced deduction for taxpayers aged 65 and older, ensuring that retirees can keep more of what they have earned.' However, policy experts are concerned that the bill does not include a provision to eliminate federal income taxes on Social Security benefits. 'There is no provision in the budget bill that directly 'eliminates' or even reduces taxes on Social Security benefits,' Howard Gleckman, senior fellow at the nonpartisan Tax Policy Center, told the Washington Post. Trump's bill offers a tax deduction of $6,000 to seniors making up to $75,000 individually, or $150,000 on a joint return. The deduction is lowered for incomes above that level and axed for seniors with individual incomes of more than $175,000, or $250,000 jointly. However, the new deduction for seniors is set to expire within a couple of years. The median income for seniors in 2022 was about $30,000. 'The people who benefit by definition have to be richer, and people who benefit the most are the richest people,' Bobby Kogan, senior director of federal budget policy at the Center for American Progress, told CBS News. Before the megabill's passing, 64 percent of seniors receiving Social Security income paid no tax on their Social Security due to exemptions and deductions, according to an estimate by Trump's Council of Economic Advisers. Under Trump's megabill, 88 percent won't be paying. Marc Goldwein, senior vice president of the nonpartisan Committee for a Responsible Federal Budget, told the Post that the rise is due to the bill's increase in 'the standard deduction for seniors, which, as a result, reduces the number of seniors who will pay taxes on their Social Security benefits.' Put simply, the new legislation will provide limited benefits for lower-income seniors because they already pay less in taxes. 'Lower-income earners benefit less than middle and upper-middle income households,' Garrett Watson, senior policy analyst at the Tax Foundation, a center-right think tank, told USA Today. 'It's been marketed as tax relief for seniors, but a lot of seniors are going to be surprised when they find out it doesn't apply to them,' he added. 'I'm getting asked all the time by folks what this actually means for their tax situation.'
CBS News
23 minutes ago
- CBS News
Transcript: Rep. Tom Suozzi on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan," July 6, 2025
The following is the transcript of an interview with Rep. Tom Suozzi, Democrat of New York, that aired on "Face the Nation with Margaret Brennan" on July 6, 2025. WEIJIA JIANG: We turn now to New York Democratic Congressman Tom Suozzi. Congressman, thank you so much for your time this morning. REP. TOM SUOZZI: Yeah, thanks so much for having me. WEIJIA JIANG: Well, you just heard from Kevin Hassett- you know, like President Trump, he said, without this bill, it would be one of the greatest tax hikes for the American public. They say it is the greatest tax cut in American history. You sit on the Ways and Means Committee, so I have to wonder how you describe it. REP. SUOZZI: I describe it as the big, ugly bill, not the 'big, beautiful bill.' It's going to do a lot of things that are going to hurt a lot of people in our country. The biggest one, which you talked about with Mr. Hassett, is increase the deficit enormously in the country. And what that does, is that creates inflation, that keeps interest rates high, that makes it hard for people to buy homes, makes it hard for them to borrow money, to do the things that they want to do. In addition, it's going to knock a bunch of people off of health care. We know the Republicans have tried for a decade to undo the Affordable Care Act- Obamacare, and this is kind of a backdoor way to take health insurance away from people that really need it the most here in our nation. And it's going to cause health insurance costs to go up for a lot of people. One of the President's biggest issues he campaigned on was reducing prices rapidly on day one, we're going to cut the costs. Well, costs are not going down, inflation- inflation is going to be affected by this deficit. Interest rates are going to stay high, and this is going to have a negative impact on health insurance costs for many people in our country. WEIJIA JIANG: I know that you just brought up Medicaid and potential loss of coverage. What do you say to some Americans who might wonder, well, why should the able bodied not have to work in order to access Medicaid? REP. SUOZZI: Well, you have to understand that 92% of the people that are able to work are currently working, and the 8% that are not are often people that are taking care of disabled children. Remember that two thirds of the people in nursing homes are on Medicaid. One-tenth of all the veterans in the United States of America are on Medicaid. Medicaid is a lifeline for so many people that are facing such difficult circumstances that we can't even possibly imagine. And why would we be taking health insurance and food benefits away from some of the most needy Americans while we're providing what I believe is an unnecessary tax break for some of the wealthiest Americans. It just doesn't make sense that you're reducing taxes for some of the wealthiest people, hurting some of the lowest income people, while blowing the biggest deficit in the budget that we've had in the history of the country. Those things just don't add up. WEIJIA JIANG: Well, just last week, you said you agree with 75% of what's in this package, that's a pretty significant number. So why isn't it worth the 25% that you don't like? REP. SUOZZI: Because those things that I just mentioned are so devastating. I like the idea that we're investing more money to secure the border. I like the idea that we are providing tax breaks to lower income folks and hard working middle class folks and people aspiring to the middle class. I like the idea of providing tax breaks for those folks. But why are we providing- and when the economy is doing as well as it has been over the past several years, why would we be providing a tax decrease- tax breaks for some of the wealthiest Americans in our country, while blowing a massive hole in the deficit? WEIJIA JIANG: Congressman, I want to turn to an op-ed that you wrote in The Wall Street Journal last week saying, Zohran Mamdani's win in the New York City's Democratic mayoral primary should be a quote, 'loud wake up call for Democrats.' What lessons do you think your party can learn from- from his campaign? REP. SUOZZI: Well, you know, I disagree with Mr. Mamdani. I have to make that very clear that, you know, I'm a Democratic capitalist. I'm not a Democratic socialist. And- but you have to recognize that he tapped into something. He tapped into the same thing that Donald Trump tapped into, which is that people are concerned that the economy is not working for them. Affordability and the economy is the number one issue in the country. And too often, Democrats are not perceived as being focused on affordability and the economy and the middle class, and people aspiring to the middle class and their economic concerns. They see Democrats as being primarily focused on reproductive rights and on LGBT protections, which are important issues, but they're not the issues that people think about every night when they're lying in bed thinking about paying their bills or when they're talking about how they're going to send their kids to school. So Democrats have got to do a better job learning from both Trump and Mamdani not with their solutions, which I think are wrong, but with the diagnosis of the problem that we're frustrated, we're concerned. Everybody in America, whether you're a right wing conservative or a left wing progressive, should believe that in return for working hard, you make enough money so you can live a good life. You can buy a home, you can educate your children, you can pay for your health insurance, you can retire one day without being scared. People don't feel that currently, and we have to do a better job of communicating that. WEIJIA JIANG: Well, I'm glad you brought up the perception, because you also wrote that 'Democrats must recognize the future starts with a message of economic security for American families.' I covered the Biden campaign. I covered the Harris campaign. That was the center of their messages. So what's the problem here? Is it the messenger? Is it the messaging? Because they have that message already. REP. SUOZZI: It's a combination. Number- the Democratic Party as a whole has to have this platform that focuses on what the people care about. They care about the economy, they care about immigration, they care about taxes, they care about crime, they care about health care. But then we have to recognize that the media infrastructure is fractured, and Trump figured it out before the Democrats have, which is that it's not just traditional media like your shows and newspapers, but it's social media. It's podcasts. Podcasts, the top 500 podcasts in America, 400 of the top 500 are right leaning. 100 are left leaning. And of the 100 left leaning ones, half of them beat the, you know what, out of the Democrats. Then you have other national media, and then you have some of this ethnic and underground media related to WeChat and WhatsApp and different types of apps that people use. So we have to communicate across all those platforms, because people are getting their messages in these fractured environments and living in these echo chambers, and we have to do a better job communicating across all these platforms and getting Democrats as a whole to focus on the economy, immigration, et cetera. WEIJIA JIANG: Alright, Congressman, we are all trying to learn all those new languages. Thank you so much for your time this morning. And we'll be right back with a lot more Face the Nation. Stay with us.
