Centers for Disease Control Director Robert Redfield has agreed to take a $165,000 pay cut after his $375,000 salary sparked criticism.
Redfield called for a salary reduction after his initial salary created controversy. His new yearly salary of $209,700 is based on a formula used to pay the prior three CDC directors, according to Health and Human Services spokeswoman Caitlin Oakley.
Redfield, a prominent AIDS researcher, didn’t want his “compensation to become a distraction” from CDC’s work, Oakley said.
His decision to cut his salary came after Sen. Patty Murray, D-Wash., questioned the high number.
The salary is the same as former CDC Director Tom Frieden who served under the Obama administration, an administration official said.
Redfield’s immediate predecessor, Brenda Fitzgerald, earned $193,700 a year. Fitzgerald resigned after it was revealed she bought tobacco stocks while serving as CDC director.
Fitzgerald received a lower salary than Frieden because she had not previously served as a government physician for two years, the official said.
Redfield had worked at Walter Reed National Military Medical Center.
