Higher Pay: Solution to Revolving Door?

Responding to an Inspector General report questioning high salaries for Smithsonian Institution executives, a Smithsonian spokesperson provided the Washington Post with a suggestion that will find favor with many federal employees:

The report also raised questions about the revolving door of some federal employees who left the Smithsonian and returned as private employees with hefty pay raises. Burke defended the practice by saying it was the only way to keep those people from leaving for more lucrative jobs: "Offering a higher-paying trust position to these retiring federal employees was necessary to prevent them from offering their experience and talent to a private or nonprofit sector employer capable of paying far more than the federal pay system would allow."