Corruption Clawback Act

Key Points

• The bill would require the Attorney General to sue in federal court to recover any money paid from the U.S. Treasury to a sitting president through settlements, administrative awards, or court judgments — but only when those payments happened because of the person's presidential power and status.
• Courts would examine whether the officials who approved the payments were appointed by or previously served as personal lawyers for the president, whether the payouts were unusually large compared to what ordinary citizens would receive, and whether normal legal defenses like statutes of limitations were bypassed.
• The bill applies only to claims filed or settlements reached on or after January 20, 2025 — the date Trump took office for his second term — making clear this targets payments made during the current administration.
• Any money successfully recovered would go to the Public Integrity Section of the DOJ's Criminal Division, the unit responsible for investigating corruption by public officials. The bill also requires the Government Accountability Office to report to Congress on any covered payment exceeding $1 million.