Following Trump’s Efforts to Steal $1.8 Billion from U.S. Treasury for MAGA Slush Fund, Ranking Member Raskin Introduces Legislation to Block Fraudulent Abuse of Federal Settlement Funds

Washington, D.C. (May 20, 2026)—Today, Rep. Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, introduced the No Taxpayer-Funded Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2026to block President Donald Trump’s illegal and unprecedented $1.8 billion taxpayer-funded MAGA slush fund as part of the corrupt settlement in Trump, v. IRS, and to restore safeguards on the use of federal settlement money.

The legislation directly prohibits the use of federal funds to create or finance the slush fund established under Trump’s IRS settlement and imposes sweeping new restrictions to prevent taxpayer dollars from being steered to January 6 rioters, MAGA sycophants, senior government officials, and members of the President or Vice President’s family.

“Trump is trying to commandeer nearly $1.8 billion in taxpayer funds to  bankroll a slush fund for January 6 cop-beaters and aggrieved MAGA foot soldiers. This massive abuse of public money also has glaring constitutional defects: only Congress has the power to appropriate federal dollars, and we didn’t appropriate a cent for the J6 millionaire trust fund. That’s why I’m introducing the No Taxpayer-Funded Settlement Slush Funds Act to shut down this highway robbery and restore basic guardrails on how taxpayer dollars are spent. Congress must reassert the power of the purse and stop this brazen looting of taxpayer funds before this ‘pilot program’ for massive partisan corruption becomes the permanent operating system of our government,” said Ranking Member Raskin.

The No Taxpayer-Funded Settlement Slush Funds Act of 2026 amends the federal Judgement Fund statute to bar payments tied to claims arising from investigations or prosecutions related to the January 6, 2021 attack on the U.S. Capitol, foreign interference in the 2016 presidential election, or cases already dismissed with prejudice.

It also prohibits settlement payments to the President, Vice President, their immediate family members, cabinet officials, senior Executive Office of the President staff, political appointees, and entities they control. 

The bill requires the Department of the Treasury to report to the congressional Judiciary Committees all settlement payments exceeding $100,000. For payments above $250,000 or any payments made on the basis of imminent litigation, the Treasury must give advanced notice to Congress and delay disbursement of funds for 120 days.

The bill further authorizes the Attorney General to pursue civil action to recover any improperly disbursed funds and seek injunctions against unlawful payments. And, it prohibits the creation of future presidential slush funds.

Today’s bill introduction follows Ranking Member Raskin’s motion to subpoena the architects of Trump’s slush fund during a Judiciary Committee hearing. Earlier today, Ranking Member Raskin and House Ways & Means Ranking Member Richard E. Neal sent a letter to Treasury Secretary Scott Bessent, Acting Attorney General Todd Blanche, and IRS CEO Frank Bisignano demanding answers regarding Trump’s settlement agreement with the IRS.

Click here for the bill text.