S.4124 Sponsored — A bill to prohibit funds made available to the Department of Justice from being used to make a personal payment to the President in connection with a claim that is subject to the Federal Tort Claims Act, whether in the form of a settlement or any other payment from the Judgment Fund for the personal benefit of the President.
Prohibit DOJ funds from being used to make a personal payment to the President in connection with a Federal Tort Claims Act claim.
Occurrences
Evidence
Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche said the Justice Department was scrapping the $1.8 billion fund and would not move forward with payouts, after backlash and court pressure.
Schumer tried to add language to a reconciliation bill to bar the payouts, but the Senate rejected the amendment 49-50; the prohibition did not pass.
AP reported that Blanche had testified the fund would not go forward, but some Senate Republicans still wanted stronger assurances before his confirmation hearing, leaving the issue politically live.
Assessments
The promised outcome was a binding prohibition on DOJ funds being used for such payments. The strongest evidence shows Schumer made a direct legislative attempt by offering amendment language to bar the payouts, but the Senate rejected it 49-50, so the prohibition did not pass. Although the Justice Department later said it was abandoning the related fund, that was an executive retreat rather than enactment of Schumer's proposed ban, and later reporting still described the issue as unsettled rather than resolved by law. Under federal candidate-credit rules, this is a serious effort that failed to deliver the promised outcome.