US President Donald Trump has commented on NASA astronauts Barry Wilmore and Sunita Williams not receiving overtime pay after being stranded in space for over nine months. Originally scheduled for an eight-day trip to the International Space Station (ISS) on June 5, 2024, they only returned to Earth on March 18, 2025.

Despite the unexpected mission extension and its impact on their lives, NASA confirmed they “do not receive overtime or holiday/weekend pay” and are limited to their “regular, 40-hour work-week salaries.” They also receive a daily incidental allowance of $5. Trump previously urged Elon Musk to “go get” them, claiming they were “abandoned in space by the Biden Administration.” He wrote on Truth Social, “They have been waiting for many months on Space Station. Elon will soon be on his way. Hopefully, all will be safe.”

Former NASA astronaut Cady Coleman recalled receiving “around $4 a day” for incidentals during her 159-day mission in 2010-11. Wilmore’s daughter also shared on TikTok that her father would earn an extra $1,430 total for his extended time in space, on top of a salary of approximately “$152,258.00 per year.”
When asked about their pay, Trump said he had just learned of the situation and, if needed, would “pay it out of [his] own pocket.”