Former GOP Sen. Sasse to keep $1M salary through '28 from Florida univ after resigning as president

Former GOP Sen. Ben Sasse will reportedly keep his $1.04 million per year salary through at least 2028 under a severance agreement with the University of Florida, where he served as president.

On July 18, Sasse announced that he would step down as president as a result of concerns regarding his wife’s health.

His office’s expenditures reportedly jumped from $5.6 million to $17.3 million over the course of his tenure, the university's student newspaper had reported.

In response, Sasse said the university’s board “extended me full severance and an ongoing role with the university until at least 2028, suggesting no concerns on their part.”

Sasse said that each new initiative requires new staff and investment expenditures.

"So did we hire some new staff? Yep. And did all of them move immediately to Gainesville full-time? Nope. And did some top-tier consulting firms compete to advise on important initiatives like those itemized above? Of course," he wrote.

Sasse resigned from the Senate in January 2023 and announced he would be starting a job as president of the university.