Your Tax Dollars at Work? Strauss-Khan to Receive $250,000 Severance Payment

In the midst of a highly-publicized scandal, former IMF managing director Dominique Strauss-Khan is poised to receive a $250,000 severance payment. This large sum will be paid, in part, by American tax dollars. Naturally, this has U.S. lawmakers infuriated.

While the payout is being challenged by some, the IMF claims that the severance package is non-negotiable and that it is part of the former director's contract. Another factor that may infuriate government officials and taxpayers, alike, is the fact that Strauss-Khan will receive an annual pension in addition to this figure. FOX News has more on how lawmakers are reacting:

"The scandal at the IMF is putting that organization in the public eye again and American taxpayers -- who pay the largest share of the IMF's bills -- are raising a lot of important questions," Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers, R-Wash., House Republican Conference vice chairwoman, told FoxNews.com in a written statement.

"What does it say about the IMF that its managing director has a higher annual salary than the president of the United States, that he stays at $3,000-per-night hotel rooms, and that he gets a quarter of a million dollars in severance pay while awaiting charges for [attempted] rape?" McMorris Rodgers asked.

While some would contend that, in light of recent allegations, the severance and pension are excessive and shouldn't be granted, others may believe that the embattled former leader is entitled to the monies, regardless of recent developments. It's important to note that Strauss-Khan maintains his innocence, which surely impacts whether the pension and lump-sum severance payment should be allocated.

Either way, this situation is sure to cause some lawmakers to more closely examine the use of monies allocated to the IMF, among other U.S.-sponsored organizations.