‘Out of my own pocket’: Trump suggests paying overtime to astronauts back from space
March 22, 2025 11:36 am
Two NASA astronauts spent 278 extra days on the International Space Station after their spacecraft malfunctioned, but aren’t eligible for overtime pay.
Needham native Suni Williams and Butch Wilmore returned to Earth this week. Their voyage was supposed to last eight days, but they were in space for nine months.
President Donald Trump said he’d make them square for their lost time in space.
“If I have to, I’ll pay it out of my own pocket,” the president told reporters. “I’ll take care of that. I like that.”
While in space, NASA astronauts are on official travel orders as federal employees, meaning Williams and Wilmore did not receive overtime, holiday or weekend pay during their time at the International Space Station.
According to NASA, astronauts make a little over $152,000 a year. Williams and Wilmore received a $5 a day per diem for the 286 days, totaling $1,430 in extra pay.
Source: AP/ NBC
--Agencies
