Smithsonian official’s pay scrutinized

Congress is taking another hard look at the Smithsonian Institution’s funding and governance after an audit showed the top official at the museum complex had nearly $90,000 in unauthorized expenses, including private jet travel and expensive gifts.

Lawrence M. Small, 65, who became secretary of the Smithsonian in 2000, will earn $915,698 this year in total compensation -- more than double his starting salary. He also has received more than $1 million over the past seven years for making his house available for official functions, the confidential audit by the Smithsonian inspector general and an independent firm showed.

The audit was first reported by the Washington Post in Sunday’s editions, and Sen. Charles Grassley (R-Iowa) released documents from the report Monday.

Grassley, who requested the report last year while chairman of the Senate Finance Committee, expressed outrage at the findings and said Small’s compensation takes money away from the Smithsonian’s 18 museums and the National Zoo -- which need repairs.

“The Smithsonian is a cherished American institution,” he said. “We can’t let its resources be squandered. Those resources need to go to sustain the museums and collections, not to some executive’s Champagne lifestyle.”

The Senate Finance Committee is now looking at legislation to cut back the Smithsonian’s funding -- and to change the complex’s governance, a committee staff member said Monday.