Preventing Abuse of Presidential Power
Donald Trump is out of power—but the threat of presidential abuse of power remains.
The Protecting Our Democracy Act would protect against the clear threats to our democracy exposed by his actions. It’s a comprehensive bill that addresses issues ranging from abuse of presidential pardons to profiting from the presidency.
The Problem
We can’t let Trump’s abuse of power fade from memory—because it could very well happen again.
During his administration we saw blatant examples of abuse, such as profiting from the presidency, demanding foreign election interference, consistently obstructing and undermining Congress, treating the DOJ like his personal attorney, and abusing the pardon power.
Why was this such a consistent theme of the Trump administration? The problem is not just that Trump was willing to abuse his power—it’s that Congress was often powerless to prevent it. Trump was able to exploit weakness in our legal system to carry out his corrupt, personal agenda, and without reform, this will surely happen again in the future.
Republicans and Democrats in Congress should be able to agree that Congress must be an effective check on the presidency. No president, regardless of party, should be able to obstruct and undermine the people’s representatives in Congress or exploit weaknesses in our political system to pursue corrupt, personal agendas.
The Solution
Unless we take action now, future administrations could get away with similar abuses of power—or worse. That’s where the Protecting Our Democracy Act comes in.
The Protecting Our Democracy Act would ensure that no president is above the law by prohibiting self-serving pardons, preventing presidents from profiting from office, and ensuring presidents can be prosecuted for wrongdoing. It would protect the Department of Justice from political interference from the White House and defend our elections against foreign interference by enhancing criminal penalties for seeking support from foreign actors. The bill would limit presidential emergency powers, disclose presidential tax returns, and help depoliticize the transition from one president to the next.
These reforms would help ensure that the White House is a place for serving the interests of the American people, not a place for self-enrichment or handing out “get out of jail free cards” to oneself or others.
The Path to Winning
The Protecting our Democracy Act is a common sense reform that the American people want.
An overwhelming majority of voters, both Democrats and Republicans, agree that passing legislation to prevent presidential abuse of power is important. This is something our members of Congress can deliver on. But we have to fight for it.
The House of Representatives passed the bill—now it’s up to the Senate to follow suit. Send an email to your senators now, urging them to pass the Protecting our Democracy Act because no president is above the law.