Saudi Arabia's government passed the latest in its series of royal decrees April 22, enacting a raft of changes related to key political posts and government expenditures. This particular decree, among other things, restored ministers' pay to pre-September 2016 levels — overturning a 20 percent cut — and reinstated bonuses for civil service employees. In addition, it provided two month's additional pay for Saudi soldiers fighting in Yemen. According to Saudi Finance Minister Mohammad Al Jadaan, the changes were possible because the budget deficit for the first quarter of 2017 was less than anticipated, 26 billion riyals ($6.93 billion) rather than the projected 54 billion riyals. There are a number of reasons why Riyadh is making amendments. When cuts were first enacted because of financial pressures and the demands of economic reform , Saudi civil servants protested online, repeatedly calling for protests in major cities, though none actually materialized.