New York, Dec. 12 : Hillary Rodham Clinton will earn 4,700 dollars less if confirmed as secretary of state than Condoleezza Rice, her predecessor, due to an obscure rule on compensation for public officials.

According to The Telegraph, the US Congress has lowered the salary for America''s most senior diplomatic post to keep Clinton''s nomination within the US Constitution.

A section of the latter called the Emoluments Clause states that no member of Congress can be appointed to a government post if that job''s pay was increased during the lawmaker''s current term.

Clinton, a New York senator, might have been ineligible to serve as secretary of state because she was serving in Congress when Miss Rice''s salary was raised to its current level of 191,300 dollars.

On Wednesday, the House of Representatives and Senate dealt with the issue by putting the secretary of state''s salary back to 186,600 dollars, its level in January 2007 when Clinton began her second Senate term.

Even at the lower rate, it is more money than her Senate salary.

Senators now make 169,300 dollars and are expected to receive a raise to 174,000 dollars next year. (ANI)