Dems’ billwould curb presidential abuses
WASHINGTON — House Democrats unveiled a far-reaching package of government reforms Wednesdaymeant to protect federalwatchdogs, bulk up congressional oversight powers and impose new penalties on presidential appointees who violate an ethics law by participating in political activities while on the job.
The multifaceted bill, assembled by seven House committee chairmen at the direction of Speaker Nancy Pelosi, is Democrats’ most comprehensive response yet to what they consider abuses and excesses by President Donald Trump and his administration.
It has almost no chance of becoming lawas long as Trumpis in office, but Democrats say the bill would be an early priority if their party retakes control of the Senate and the White House in January.
They likened their goal to the raft of laws passed after the Watergate scandal and the resignation of President Richard Nixon in the 1970s, when Congress adopted new campaign finance and government ethics requirements and put into place a rigorous new plan to oversee the nation’s intelligence services.
“Our democracy is not self-effectuating — it takes work and a commitment to guard it against those who would undermine it, whether foreign or domestic,” the chairmen said in a statement before the bill’s release. “It is time for Congress to strengthen the bedrock of our democracy and ensure our laws are strong enough to withstand a lawless president.”
Republicans are unlikely to see the proposals in such a favorable light, though some of them aim to address concerns that have cropped up in other administrations when Democrats and Republicans technically have stayed within the bounds of the law but defied Congress’s intent.
Even institutionalists in the party who have traditionally fought for Congress’ interests against the executive branch now view House Democrats as fixated on destroying Trump above all else and disingenuous in their desire for real bipartisan change. Several of the provisions likely would be susceptible to legal challenge.
The authors of the bill include some of Trump’s chief antagonists, who have spent the past two years investigating various aspects of his presidency and leading his impeachment by the House last year.
They are Reps. Adam Schiff of California, who oversees the Intelligence Committee; Jerrold Nadler of New York, who oversees the Judiciary Committee; and Richard Neal of Massachusetts, who oversees theways and Means Committee and has sought Trump’s tax returns.
The residue of many of those fights can be seen scattered throughout the bill.
It would, for instance, grant new protections to whistleblowers, including the right to sue if they’re publicly identified by government officials, as was the case with an anonymous intelligence agency whistleblower whose complaint about a July 2019 phone call by Trump prompted the impeachment inquiry.
Another section of the bill would take aim at Trump’s rash of firings of independent inspectors general embedded in federal agencies who were investigating him or his appointees. It would stipulate that only the president can fire an inspector general and only for cause, putting in new requirements that the president detail the rationale for removal to Congress, something Trump has shirked.
Democrats would try to limit the president’s pardon powers, explicitly outlawing presidents from pardoning themselves, and pause the statute of limitations on any federal offense committed by presidents or vice presidents during their time in office so they can’t escape charges that would otherwise be brought if they weren’t in office.
And amid myriad fights with the White House over whether congressional subpoenas must be obeyed, Democrats propose requiring the courts to expedite those lawsuits enforcing the summons to prevent lengthy delays in testimony. Their bill also would allow courts to impose “monetary penalties” on individuals who defied subpoenas.
“We owe it to the American people to put in place meaningful constraints on power, fix what is broken and ensure there is never again a Richard Nixon or Donald Trump for either party,” Schiff said.