Congress moves to block corrupt donations to White House, presidential monuments
S. 3191 — Stop Ballroom Bribery Act · Filed by Elizabeth Warren (D-MA) · 6 cosponsors · Introduced Nov 18, 2025 · Referred to committee
Your members of Congress
Enter a ZIP to see where your representative and both senators stood on this bill.
Looked up on this device — your ZIP is never stored on our servers.
What it does
This bill prohibits donations to White House, Vice President's residence, and federal monuments honoring sitting or recent Presidents and Vice Presidents if the donor is involved in litigation, federal investigations, seeking federal contracts or grants, lobbying the executive branch, seeking a pardon, or seeking federal appointment. It requires NPS and OGE approval before accepting donations, mandates public disclosure of all donors and their meetings with executive officials, and imposes civil and criminal penalties up to $100,000 and 5 years imprisonment for violations. The bill aims to prevent quid pro quo corruption and the appearance of impropriety in donations to presidential properties and monuments.
Why we flagged it
The bill's core mechanism is a conflict-of-interest screen and transparency mandate for donations to presidential properties and monuments. It is designed to prevent quid pro quo corruption and the appearance of impropriety in executive fundraising, not to advance a narrow private interest or sector carve-out.
What the text implies
- The 2-year cooling-off period on lobbying by donors may chill legitimate advocacy by citizens and nonprofits who wish to donate to presidential events or monuments, creating a chilling effect on free speech and petition rights.
- The broad definition of 'donation' (including services) and 'covered project' (including events on presidential property) may capture routine volunteer work or in-kind contributions from ordinary citizens, requiring disclosure and creating compliance burden.
The full analysis lists 5 implications of this text.
Who it affects
The bill restricts donations that pose corruption risks (from those seeking federal contracts, pardons, or involved in litigation with the government) and mandates transparency, strengthening public trust in executive integrity. Citizens benefit from reduced quid pro quo risk and full disclosure of who funds presidential properties and events.