By codifying the emoluments clauses, the bill can help ensure that government officials put the interests of the American people first over their own enrichment.Īnother crucial set of reforms in the bill would establish guardrails to stave off political interference in law enforcement. These safeguards could also have prevented scandals involving members of Congress from both parties doing business or accepting significant travel and other gifts from foreign governments beyond what current law authorizes. For instance, if such a system had been in place during the Trump administration, it would have enforced stronger separation between the president and his sprawling business interests - some of which regularly dealt with foreign governments and state officials looking to influence U.S. Stronger safeguards like these could have forestalled a number of scandals in recent decades. The Protecting Our Democracy Act would establish a broad definition of the term “ emolument” (including proceeds from commercial transactions), prohibit federal officials from receiving foreign emoluments of significant value without congressional consent, and establish a flat prohibition on the president receiving most domestic emoluments. These provisions have been in the Constitution since the Founding era, but there is no easy way to enforce them in most cases. The Foreign Emoluments Clause requires Congress to consent to any federal government official receiving a benefit from a foreign government, while the Domestic Emoluments Clause prohibits the president from receiving any personal benefit from a U.S. One of the most important things the Protecting Our Democracy Act would do is create clear standards for enforcing the Constitution’s emoluments clauses. Congress should pass the bill without delay. Fortifying these safeguards is essential to revitalizing and strengthening American democracy for future generations, and to ensuring that members of both parties adhere to its core ideas. Its fixes would help restore checks and balances in the federal government that have degraded during the past several presidential administrations, most precipitously under former President Donald Trump Donald Trump Pennsylvania Attorney General Josh Shapiro enters governor's race GOP lawmakers introduce measure in support of Columbus Day Bannon's subpoena snub sets up big decision for Biden DOJ MORE. Last Tuesday, members of the House of Representatives reintroduced the Protecting Our Democracy Act, a set of reforms to strengthen legal guardrails against self-dealing by government officials and reinforce protections for the rule of law.

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