Cantwell Votes to Cancel Corrupt DOJ Deal to Give Trump Family Blanket Immunity from Tax Audits

Cantwell Votes to Cancel Corrupt DOJ Deal to Give Trump Family Blanket Immunity from Tax Audits

Cantwell cites 7,000 messages from outraged constituents; says Congress needs to show honest taxpayers "the well-connected are not above the law"

WASHINGTON, D.C. - Today at a Senate Finance Committee hearing, U.S. Senator Maria Cantwell (D-WA), a senior member of the Committee and ranking member of the Senate Committee on Commerce, Science, and Transportation, voted yes on legislation that would prohibit the IRS and Treasury from entering into or enforcing any agreement or settlement that grants audit immunity to a sitting President, their family members, or related business entities. This would have effectively barred implementation of the settlement deal that the Department of Justice cut with President Trump that included a broad grant of immunity from IRS tax audits.

"My constituents were outraged by the $1.8 billion slush fund, but the offer of blanket immunity from any tax enforcement claims was especially appalling," said Sen. Cantwell. "Our office has received more than 7,000 messages from constituents expressing their opposition and anger."

"Over 165 million individual tax returns were filed in 2025, approximately 4 million from the state of Washington. We need to make clear to those law-abiding citizens that the well-connected are not above the law, and they don't get a free pass when it comes to compliance with our tax laws," Sen. Cantwell continued.

The amendment, led by Committee chair Sen. Ron Wyden (D-OR), was voted down 13-14, along party lines.

The amendment was offered to the Taxpayer Assistance and Service (TAS) Act, bipartisan legislation that strengthens taxpayer rights, and modernizes IRS operations, helping build a more efficient, responsive and taxpayer-focused tax administration system, that Cantwell supported and was reported out of Committee by a vote of 26-1. During her opening comments on the TAS Act, Cantwell pressed her colleagues to ensure that the IRS is adequately funded and fully staffed.

"Making sure that the IRS is funded and staffed is essential to having a fair system. And we look at the cuts that came through earlier this year, it means we're eliminating trained and experienced revenue agents who can audit and do complex returns," said Sen. Cantwell. "If we're going to get our fiscal house in order, the least we can do is fund our own tax accounts receivable function."

Video of Sen. Cantwell's full remarks is available HERE. A transcript is available HERE.