Washington DC [US], March 22 (HBTV): US President Donald Trump said he would personally pay astronauts for their extended stay in space after learning that astronauts Sunita Williams and Butch Wilmore received only USD 5 per day for their extra time spent in space.

During an interaction with media persons in the Oval Office, Fox News journalist Peter Doocy pointed out that the two astronauts ‘didn’t get any overtime pay for all that extra time. They got USD 5 per day. For 286 days, that is USD 1,430 in extra pay.’ He asked what the administration could do for them, to which Trump responded, ‘Well, nobody's ever mentioned this to me. If I have to, I'll pay it out of my own pocket... That's not a lot for what they had to go through.’

Trump then thanked Elon Musk for bringing the astronauts back, saying, ‘I want to thank Elon Musk... and if we didn't have Elon, they could have been up there a long time.’

According to The New York Times, NASA astronauts are considered to be on official travel orders as federal employees while in space. Jimi Russell, a spokesman for NASA's Space Operations Mission Directorate, said via email that astronauts aboard the International Space Station do not receive overtime, holiday, or weekend pay.

Russell explained that while their transportation, meals, and lodging are covered, they receive a daily ‘incidentals’ allowance, similar to other federal employees on work trips. This allowance is set at USD 5 per day.

In his remarks, Trump also defended Musk, stating, ‘He's (Musk) gone through a lot, what they're doing to him. And these people are going to be caught, and they're going to be prosecuted... I'll tell you, there's going to be no leniency, and there'll be no pardons.’

Trump had earlier stated on Truth Social that individuals caught sabotaging Tesla vehicles could face up to 20 years in prison. Since Musk took over as head of the Department of Government Efficiency (DOGE), Tesla vehicles, dealerships, and charging stations have been vandalised and targeted by protests in recent weeks.

(ANI)