Larson Joins Urgent Court Brief Opposing Multi-Billion Dollar Payout to Donald Trump, Announces New Legislation to Block Taxpayer-Funded MAGA Slush Fund

Washington, D.C. - Today, Rep. John B. Larson (CT-01) joined with his fellow Democrats on the House Ways and Means Committee and Judiciary Committee, filing a brief urging U.S. District Judge Kathleen Williams to dismiss Trump v. IRS and fully scrutinize the settlement agreement announced this morning by the U.S. Department of Justice (DOJ). He also announced new legislation requiring Congressional approval before DOJ can spend taxpayer dollars on any legal settlement resolving a case involving the President, the President's immediate family, or any business entity they own or control.

"Never in our nation's history has a sitting President sought a settlement with the government he leads, until now," said Larson. "He is trying to fleece taxpayers out of over a billion dollars by strong-arming officials into a settlement for his own businesses and even trying to redirect taxpayer funds to convicted fraudsters and January 6^th insurrectionists that he pardoned. Money deducted from your paycheck to fund our government should never go to Donald Trump's bank account or payoffs to his MAGA allies. Whether it's billion-dollar corporations screwing over their customers or billionaire presidents trying to make a quick buck off the American people, we cannot stand by. The courts must reject this weaponization of our legal system to enrich his friends, and I will be introducing legislation to require explicit Congressional approval before any of your money can be spent on this dirty deal."

In January, President Trump filed an unprecedented lawsuit, demanding $10 billion in damages for alleged mishandling of tax data at the IRS he oversees. Never in the history of the United States has a sitting President sought a monetary settlement from the government he leads-let alone one totaling many billions of dollars in taxpayer funds. As the Department of Justice attempts to move forward with this $1.7 billion settlement, which could include taxpayer-funded payouts to January 6^th insurrectionists and business entities owned by President Trump and his family, the Democratic lawmakers filed an urgent court brief calling for the dismissal of this frivolous and opportunistic lawsuit.

Earlier this year, Larson also introduced the Prevent Presidential Profiteering Actwith House Tax Subcommittee Ranking Member Mike Thompson (CA-04) to block the President's lawsuit by imposing a 100% tax on any civil settlement awarded to the President, the President's immediate family, or any business entity they own or control.