Ban Presidential Plunder of Taxpayer Funds Act

Key Points

• The bill bars sitting Presidents, Vice Presidents, their spouses, dependent children, and related trusts from receiving any settlement payments, damages, attorney's fees, or other payments from the federal government while in office.
• If a covered individual does sue the government, the bill limits them to actual or compensatory damages only and requires the court to appoint an independent counsel to defend the government, preventing conflicts of interest.
• All court filings and audio from proceedings involving covered individuals must be posted online for free, creating full public transparency.
• Former presidents and vice presidents can still file claims after leaving office, but the process must be handled by career employees, not political appointees, and all payment details must be published in the Federal Register.
• Violators face stiff penalties: up to five years in prison and civil fines of $1 million or the total payment amount, whichever is greater. Government employees who help process illegal payments face up to six months in prison and $50,000 in fines.
• The bill applies retroactively to any payment requests made after enactment, even if the underlying claim or cause of action happened earlier. It also pauses the clock on statutes of limitations for claims while a person holds office.

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