It’s Our Generation’s Turn to Create Guardrails for Future Presidents, Restore the Rule of Law
WASHINGTON, D.C. – House Democrats introduced the Protecting our Democracy Act today, a sweeping package that would deter abuse of the pardon power, strengthen prohibitions on the president’s acceptance of emoluments, help protect the independence of the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ), increase Congress’s ability to enforce subpoenas, provide whistleblowers and inspectors general with much needed protections, deal with foreign election interference, restore Congress’ power of the purse, and more. Lisa Gilbert, executive vice president for Public Citizen, released the following statement:
“President Donald Trump clearly believes that our Constitution, laws and longstanding norms don’t apply to him and his administration. Whether it’s violating the Hatch Act by using the government for partisan activity, seeking DOJ interference to help his cronies, or ordering his administration to reject legitimate congressional subpoenas, Trump’s record of abuses is staggering – and ongoing. The Protecting Our Democracy Act contains the needed reforms to ensure that future presidents are not tempted to replicate his lawlessness.
After Watergate, Congress did not simply hope that government would repair itself or trust that subsequent presidents would return to normal behaviors. Instead, Congress enacted bold reforms aimed at curbing future abuses. Now our generation is faced with a similar moment, and we must create guardrails that last. We need to clean up the mess left by the Trump administration and restore the rule of law.”