President Donald Trump made a statement on Friday regarding the overtime pay for astronauts Barry “Butch” Wilmore and Sunita “Suni” Williams, who had returned to Earth earlier this week after spending nine months in space, which was originally intended to be an eight-day mission.
Trump addressed questions from reporters in the Oval Office about the matter of their overtime compensation.
“Nobody’s ever mentioned this to me. If I have to, I’ll pay it out of my own pocket,” Trump remarked when Fox News’ Peter Doocy asked him about the situation. “Is that all? That’s not alot for what they had to go through.”
Doocy pointed out that Wilmore and Williams were each given $5 per day for their time in space, which totaled $1,430 in additional pay.
The two astronauts arrived at the International Space Station in June, expecting an eight-day mission. However, after nearly 286 days in orbit, they were brought back this week aboard a SpaceX Crew Dragon capsule, following a rescue mission.
During his remarks to reporters, Trump expressed gratitude toward Elon Musk, the CEO of Tesla and SpaceX, as well as the head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE).
“Think if we don’t have him?” Trump said. “If we don’t have Elon. They could be up there a long time. Who is else is going to get them?”
He also mentioned the physical toll of spending extended time in space, noting that “the body starts to deteriorate” after months in orbit.
{Matzav.com}

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