BIG DEAL...Barry...How about reimbusring the taxpayers for all your wasteful and ridiculous White House parties and trips?...

Obama to freeze pay of top government officials

President Obama will freeze the salaries of senior White House officials and other top political appointees and eliminate bonuses for all political appointees, the White House said Tuesday. The payroll decision will likely get a mention in Wednesday's State of the Union address, officials said.

Obama last year froze the salaries of top White House officials earning more than $100,000, and this year's freeze will once again impact them and other top Executive Branch appointees, politically appointed ambassadors and political appointees serving in the Senior Executive Service -- roughly 1,200 people.

This is also the second year that Obama has declined to pay bonuses. It's unclear how much a government official would earn from a bonus or who would earn one, but the decision theoretically would affect more than 3,000 officials across the government.

"We all appreciate how hard all of these people work," White House Chief Performance Officer Jeffrey Zients said Tuesday. "At the same time, everyone across the board has been making tough choices, streamlining what works, cutting what doesn't. Families are doing this, and now the president is asking political appointees to do the same."

The financial impact on the president's proposed budget is minimal, but will likely send a powerful message to Americans wary of government spending. The White House has already said that Obama will propose a three-year freeze on discretionary spending unrelated to national security, a decision that would save as much as $250 billion over the next decade.