Congress bars presidents from tapping federal settlement fund for their own lawsuits
H.R. 9239 — Drain the Slush Fund Act · Filed by Jason Crow (D-CO) · 4 cosponsors · Introduced Jun 10, 2026 · Referred to committee
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What it does
This bill bars the federal government from paying judgments, awards, or settlements in any lawsuit or claim filed by the President or Vice President, effective January 20, 2025 and retroactively to pending cases. It prevents the executive branch from using the standard federal settlement account (31 U.S.C. § 1304) to fund claims brought by sitting presidents or vice presidents.
Why we flagged it
The bill restricts sitting presidents and vice presidents from accessing the federal Judgment Fund for their own lawsuits, a direct accountability constraint on executive self-dealing. It is not a deregulation, subsidy, or private carve-out; it is a prohibition on executive officers' use of public money.
What the text implies
- The retroactive application to pending cases (back to January 20, 2025) may affect any lawsuits filed by the President or Vice President that are currently in settlement negotiations or awaiting judgment.
- The bill does not prevent the President or Vice President from filing suit; it only bars payment from the Judgment Fund. They could still pursue claims through other appropriations or direct congressional action.
- The term 'lawsuit or claim filed by' targets suits initiated by the President or Vice President as plaintiffs, not suits against them as defendants—a narrow but important distinction.
Section numbers refer to the bill text the analysis read — linked under Primary records below.
Who it affects
Ordinary citizens are not restricted; the bill prevents sitting presidents and vice presidents from using public settlement funds to recover damages in their own lawsuits. This is an accountability measure that prevents executive self-dealing and protects the public fisc from being used to settle claims brought by the highest officers of government.
Named in the bill
President of the United States, Vice President of the United States, 31 U.S.C. § 1304 (Judgment Fund), House Committee on the Judiciary
Where it stands
4 cosponsors: 4 Democrats.
- Jun 10, 2026 — Introduced · Congress.gov: “Introduced in House”
- Jun 10, 2026 — Referred to House Committee on the Judiciary · Congress.gov: “Referred to the House Committee on the Judiciary”
Dates and quoted wording are Congress.gov's action record; the timeline shows status changes, not every procedural step.
How this was measured
Analysis — Quorum's AI read the bill text published by Congress.gov (570 characters) on Aug 12, 2026. Section numbers in the findings refer to that text, linked below; transparency and hidden-provision scores are compared against the median of 16,222 analysed bills.
Status and sponsors — Congress.gov's bill record — actions, committee referrals and cosponsors — loaded nightly. The timeline shows status changes, not every procedural action.
As of — page rendered 2026-10-20.
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