NEWS: Sen. Schiff Pushes Anti-Corruption Measures to Prevent Malign Influences in Executive Branch, Close Bribery Loopholes

Washington, D.C. - U.S. Senator Adam Schiff (D-Calif.) is continuing his push to enact updates to federal anti-corruption and ethics laws in the aftermath of the most corrupt presidential administration in U.S. history with the introduction of three pieces of legislation aimed at preventing malign influence in the Executive Branch through bribery, conflicts of interest, and other methods of self-enrichment by government employees.

"The Trump administration has put corporations and their executives in the driver's seat, letting special interests call the shots and drive government decisions over mergers and contracts to supporters of the President. These bills address the self-enrichment schemes of special government employees and other political appointees of any administration, present or future, and prevent them from so openly profiting from their public service," said Senator Schiff.

The bills introduced by Schiff today were included as part of his Protecting our Democracy Act, his landmark legislative package, first introduced in 2020, that seeks to curb presidential abuses of power, strengthen checks and balances on the Executive Branch, and add additional guardrails to better protect American democracy.

The measures introduced today are:

1. The No Corporate Crooks Act, to prohibit corporate executives from serving in the executive branch if they have been convicted of financial or corruption crimes.

This legislation is led by Rep. Chris DeLuzio (D-Pa.-17) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"The American people are mad about corrupt officials in our government lining their pockets while so many hardworking people struggle to get by," said Congressman Deluzio. "Part of restoring the American Dream means rooting out this corruption and stopping corporate criminals who are using their insider access for personal gain. The No Corporate Crooks Act would ban criminals convicted of bribery, embezzlement, fraud, or insider trading from the executive branch. I am proud to lead this bill with Senator Schiff." 

1. The Stop Millionaires Using Service for Kickbacks (MUSK) Act, to require government employees to recuse themselves from any matters affecting the financial interests of previous employers from the four-year period prior.

This legislation is led by Rep. Pat Ryan (D-N.Y.-18) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

"Politicians are elected to serve the people - not themselves. For too long bad actors have been able to put their own gain ahead of what's best for the American people, and the brazen corruption of this Administration only highlights the need for urgent action," said Congressman Ryan. "That's why I was proud to introduce our comprehensive Anti-Corruption Agenda last year - including my Stop MUSK Act, which would make sure those in government cannot use their power to financially benefit themselves or their former employers - and why I am proud to support Senator Schiff's Protecting Our Democracy Act package. That's what the American people deserve, and that's what we'll keep fighting for."

3. The Closing Bribery Loopholes Act, to close a loophole created by the Supreme Court in federal bribery statutes by tightening the definition of an "official act" by a public official. After the court's ruling in McDonnell v. United States, official acts can be defined only by legislative actions, such as casting votes or influencing policy language. The bill would expand that definition to include conduct done in any official capacity as a public official. 

This legislation is led by Rep. Emilia Sykes (D-Ohio-13) in the U.S. House of Representatives.

Additional Background:

Schiff's Protecting our Democracy Act legislative package aims to address numerous new abuses of power that Donald Trump and members of his administration have engaged in during both his first and second term.

Other provisions of the package include bills to:

• Reinforce Congress' power of the purse and discretion over federal spending decisions, and its oversight role over the executive branch
• Prevent presidents from granting pardons to family, friends, or themselves, or from using the office to enrich themselves, or utilizing government resources for campaign purposes 
• Strengthen protections for federal whistleblowers who report government waste, fraud, or abuse 
• Explicitly prohibit political campaigns and parties from soliciting or accepting foreign assistance to influence an election 

More information on the Protecting our Democracy Act can be found here.

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