Obama freezes pay for senior White House staff

The pay freeze, which would hold the salaries of about 100 senior employees at current levels, is part of a Jan. 21 presidential memorandum. "During this period of economic emergency, families are tightening their belts and so should Washington," the new president said.

While the memorandum did not provide specifics on how the pay freeze would work, it directed Assistant to the President and Chief of Staff Rahm Emanuel to report back to Obama with recommendations for implementation within 30 days. The memo will be published in the Federal Register, Obama said.

"Many have accepted the call to serve in government and to assist me in restoring a sound economy and in improving the lives of average Americans," Obama wrote. "In this challenging economic period, it is only appropriate that senior officials on the White House staff forgo pay increases until further notice."