NRA to cut salaries, brace for layoffs as coronavirus disrupts fundraising, internal memo states

https://www.washingtonpost.com/investigations/nra-to-cut-salaries-brace-for-layoffs-as-coronavirus-disrupts-fundraising-internal-memo-states/2020/03/24/4a7d47ac-6d63-11ea-96a0-df4c5d9284af_story.html



The National Rifle Association is cutting salaries 20 percent and bracing for layoffs, as the coronavirus pandemic forces the nonprofit to cancel its annual meeting set for April and a wide range of upcoming fundraisers and programs, according to a memo to staffers from the nonprofit’s leadership Monday.

More than 800 people worked at the NRA in 2018, according to its latest tax filing, although that number includes part-time workers who would not be affected by the reductions. Schedules for hourly workers will be reduced from five to four days a week, the memo said.

Some top NRA officials, including chief executive Wayne LaPierre, are taking salary reductions greater than 20 percent, according to a person familiar with the cuts who was not authorized to speak publicly about them.

In 2018, compensation for top officials, including LaPierre, surged by 41 percent and legal fees more than tripled, according to the organization’s tax filing, even as the nation’s largest gun rights organization sharply reduced spending on programs central to its mission. LaPierre received a total of about $2.2 million from the NRA and related entities in 2018, including a base salary of $1.27 million, tax documents show.

LaPierre withstood calls for his resignation last year amid allegations of lavish spending on travel, clothing and legal fees. NRA officials have staunchly defended their stewardship as the Democratic attorneys general of Washington and New York investigate the tax-exempt group’s spending.

“We must address immediate financial challenges and, as importantly, plan for long-term impacts to ensure the viability of our organization during this crucial year,” LaPierre said in the memo describing the pay cuts and proposed layoffs. “Unfortunately, these changes will necessitate the elimination of certain positions on either a temporary or, in some cases, permanent basis.”