Republican Senators’ Sneaky, Self-Serving Data Provision Could Cost Taxpayers Millions
WASHINGTON, D.C. — Last week, a handful of Republican Senators snuck a provision into the emergency funding package to reopen the government that would allow them to sue the federal government for potentially millions of dollars if their phone history records are accessed without notice by law enforcement.
The provision would uniquely benefit eight Republicans whose phone records were pulled as part of the investigation into the Jan. 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol.
This afternoon, on the floor of the House of Representatives, House Administration Committee Ranking Member Joseph Morelle is slated to propose repealing this corrupt provision.
In response, Public Citizen Co-President Lisa Gilbert said, “It’s hard to dream up a more self-serving maneuver than the sneaky kick-back move. Sneaking a poison pill that could force American taxpayers to put millions into the pockets of the people who wrote the law is the very definition of grift. This provision should be repealed immediately and unanimously. The American people deserve better.”
Public Citizen Democracy Advocate Jon Golinger added, “Public faith in Congress is at a record low, and this self-dealing move will only make that worse. We urge Congress to quickly repeal this license for costly corruption.”