(WASHINGTON EXAMINER) – House Democrats introduced a package of reforms on Wednesday that they say will “prevent future presidential abuses.”
The legislation, dubbed the Protecting Our Democracy Act, seeks to counter the sort of issues put on display by President Trump and members of his administration with a variety of proposals introduced by seven House committee leaders at the behest of House Speaker Nancy Pelosi.
To “prevent presidential abuses,” the Democrats proposed prohibiting the president from pardoning himself or herself, suspending the statute of limitations for a federal offense committed by a president or vice president while in office, and strengthening the foreign and domestic emoluments clause of the Constitution.
The Democrats, which include House Intelligence Committee Chairman Adam Schiff and Judiciary Committee Chairman Jerry Nadler, also expressed their desire to “restore our system of checks and balances, strengthen accountability, and transparency.” They proposed accomplishing this by expediting the judicial process for congressional subpoenas, enhancing the Impoundment Control Act, and increasing protections for federal whistleblowers. The Hatch Act would also be strengthened, and the penalty for violating it would be increased.
