Trump’s lean payroll could save taxpayers as much as $22M: report

President Trump could save taxpayers as much as $22 million from working with a leaner White House payroll, Forbes reported Sunday.

The piece is written by a contributor who used his nonprofit, OpenTheBooks.com, to assess the savings Trump is projected to have compared to former President Obama.

On Friday, the White House released its annual report to Congress detailing the names, statuses and salaries of 377 employees.

{mosads}The findings, according to Forbes, suggest Trump’s administration employs 100 fewer staff members than Obama, which could ultimately yield $5.1 million in payroll savings when compared to fiscal 2015 under Obama.

First lady Melania Trump’s office is staffed with five staffers, compared with the reported 24 staffers who served Michelle Obama in her first year in 2009. 

Both administrations have the same number of top advisers with the title of “Assistant to the President” — 22. Those who serve under Trump reportedly make almost $8,000 more a year, with a salary of $179,700 compared to Obama’s advisers, who received a top pay of $172,000 in his first year.

The Forbes analysis found that unlike Obama, Trump has not hired “czars,” or people who lead special initiatives. Obama had dozens of these people in such roles, with some making around or more than $100,000 a year.

Two of Trump’s top advisers, Gary Cohn and Christopher Liddell, are paid reduced salaries of $30,000, the lowest salaries among all White House staff.

Cohn is the director of the White House National Economic Council and formerly served as the president of Goldman Sachs. Liddell, who serves as the director of strategic initiatives in the White House, also formerly served as Microsoft’s chief financial officer.

Trump repeatedly vowed on the campaign trail to shrink the government. 

Trump also said he’ll donate his annual salary to the Department of the Interior so that it could work on repairs and other needs at military cemeteries.