The Anti-Cash Grab Act repeals last-minute provision allowing Republican senators who were investigated regarding January 6th to collect $500,000 per lawfully subpoenaed phone record
WASHINGTON, DC — After Senate Republican leaders added a secretive, self-dealing provision to the continuing resolution (CR) government funding bill that allows several Republican senators to receive payments of up to $500,000 if their phone records were accessed by January 6 investigators without their knowledge, a group of 33 U.S. Senators is pushing back to repeal the measure and prevent lawmakers from cutting themselves half a million dollar checks using U.S. taxpayers’ money.
The highly controversial provision, inserted at the last minute by Senate Republican leadership, has drawn strong rebukes from Democrats and many Republicans. House Republicans have introduced a standalone bill to repeal this provision, with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) claiming he was “shocked” and “angry” when he learned about the measure.
Now, U.S. Senators Jack Reed (D-RI) and Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) are teaming up with Senator Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Ranking Member of the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, and 30 of their Senate colleagues in introducing the Anti-Cash Grab Act (S.3195). This bill would repeal the provision allowing eight Senate Republicans to claim at least $500,000 in taxpayer money over phone record collections that lawfully occurred during the January 6th insurrection investigation process.
The phone records that were seized were legally obtained through a grand jury subpoena and covered the call logs, numbers, times, and durations of several lawmakers, but not the contents of their conversations. They were subject to a lawful non-disclosure order signed by a federal judge, as part of a lawful criminal investigation. Under the provision, the senators could receive “the greater of statutory damages of $500,000 or the amount of actual damages” for each violation, plus legal fees. The provision was made retroactive to January 1, 2022.
“While Democrats were fighting to make health care more affordable and help working families put food on the table, Senate Republicans were focused on taxpayer-funded windfalls for themselves. Let’s be crystal clear: negotiating a $500,000 windfall for yourself while refusing to help everyday Americans is wrong and deserves to be called out,” said Senator Heinrich, Ranking Member of the U.S. Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch. “Our bill is about accountability, transparency, and fighting for working families. The Senate must take this bill up and pass it now.”
“The Republicans who wrote this bill tried to sneak a $500,000 payout for a select group senators who were caught up in the investigation of the January 6th attack on the Capitol. Nobody wants to admit responsibility for inserting this provision into the bill. And many of potential beneficiaries of the provision have disavowed it and have said they were not aware of its inclusion. Regardless of how it made its way into the government funding bill, it should be repealed. It smacks of corruption and both parties should repudiate it,” saidSenator Reed.
“While Democrats are fighting for affordable health care, Republicans are trying to enrich themselves with your tax dollars,” said Senator Whitehouse. “This commonsense legislation stops a scheme where Republicans slyly voted money ($500K each!) for the Trump DOJ to dole out to senators. Grift seems to be the G in MAGA.”
In addition to Heinrich, Reed, and Whitehouse, the Anti-Cash Grab Act is cosponsored by U.S. Senators and Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), John Fetterman (D-PA), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Mazie K. Hirono (D-HI), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Andy Kim (D-NJ), Angus King (I-ME), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Chris Murphy (D-CT), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Brain Schatz (D-HI), Adam Schiff (D-CA), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), and Ron Wyden (D-OR).
House Speaker Johnson announced that the House will take a vote this week to eliminate the phone data payola provision. However, press reports indicate some Senate Republicans, including the Republican Senate Majority Leader, are intent on preserving the measure and preventing repeal. According to Politico, Senate Republicans plan to hold a special discussion on the matter today during a closed door meeting, noting: “confusion, frustration and anger ran rampant about what has quickly become branded as a politically toxic, taxpayer-funded windfall for a select few.”
