House Democrats’ Litigation Task Force Fights to Block Trump’s Self-Dealing Settlement in Sham $10 Billion IRS Lawsuit

Washington, D.C. (May 18, 2026)—As President Donald Trump attempts to conclude the sham $10 billion lawsuit he filed against the Internal Revenue Service (IRS)—an agency he oversees as President of the United States—House Democrats’ Litigation Task Force simultaneously filed a motion to block this unconstitutional taxpayer-funded settlement. 

The coalition is being led in this effort by Task Force Co-Chairs Judiciary Ranking Member Jamie Raskin and Assistant Leader Joe Neguse, as well as Ways and Means Ranking Member Richard Neal and House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries. 

93 House Democrats signed on to the amicus brief filed in Trump v. IRS before Judge Kathleen Williams in the U.S. District Court for the Southern District of Florida. 

The lawmakers’ filing seeks to prevent Trump’s corrupt attempt to “settle” the lawsuit in exchange for the creation of a $1.7 billion slush fund through which the president would be able to reward allies, including the nearly 1,600 defendants convicted or charged in connection with the January 6th attack on the Capitol. It also argued that the lawsuit is unconstitutionally collusive and not a real case or controversy, given that President Trump is effectively on both sides of the case. Ultimately, the lawmakers urged Judge Williams to dismiss the lawsuit for lack of jurisdiction.

“This is pure fraud and highway robbery. No one can be both plaintiff and defendant in the same case. And no president can concoct a fake case for $10 billion in damages against the government so he can be plaintiff and defendant and then ‘settle’ his bogus case against himself as a judge. This is simply not a genuine case or controversy as required by the Constitution. But Trump’s DOJ is not arguing any of this because it is in on the scam. This case is nothing but a racket designed to take $1.7 billion of taxpayer dollars out of the Treasury and pour it into a huge slush fund for Trump at DOJ to hand out to his private militia of insurrectionists, rioters, and white supremacists, including those who brutally beat police officers on January 6, 2021, and sycophant accomplices to his election stealing schemes. As set out in our amicus brief in Trump v. IRS, we urge the Court to dismiss this ludicrous case for lack of jurisdiction and to block any settlement that would turn the Treasury into a vehicle for corrupt self-dealing in violation of the Constitution and Congress’s exclusive power of the purse,” said Ranking Member Raskin.

“Donald Trump’s absurd $10 billion lawsuit against the IRS is one of the most brazen examples of corruption we’ve seen from this administration. The case is unlawful, unethical, and lacks the bare minimum required to file a lawsuit: two opposing parties. House Democrats are taking a stand for the American taxpayers that would be forced to foot the bill for this mess, and are calling on the court to block any unconstitutional settlements in the matter,” said Assistant Leader Joe Neguse.

“Trump suing the IRS was never about justice, it’s another self-enrichment scheme on the backs of hard-working taxpayers,” said Ways and Means Committee Ranking Member Neal. “Now, with the Court poised to weigh in only days from now, Trump is scrambling to cut a backroom deal and solidify his position as the judge, jury, and executioner. Reporting detailing Trump’s interest in a billion-dollar slush fund for the J6 criminals and permanent immunity from any further IRS scrutiny only deepens the stench of corruption. Through today’s amicus brief, Ways and Means Democrats are fighting to ensure no one is above the law, including Donald trump. The American people deserve a government that works for them, not Trump’s government by the grifter and for the grifter.”

“It's against the law for the president to in effect sue himself—and then settle for a huge sum. The court has the power to put a stop to these shenanigans and should do so. We are proud to represent over ​90 members of Congress in making that request,” said Matt Platkin, Platkin LLP, and Norm Eisen, Democracy Defenders Action, co-counsel for amici. 

The full brief is available HERE.

The Litigation Task Force first took the unprecedented step of filing a trial court amicus brief in the month that followed President Donald Trump’s chaotic return to office. In this initial matter, they intervened to defend American consumers from predatory lenders and bad actors, and were successful in persuading a federal judge to block efforts to dismantle the Consumer Financial Protection Bureau (CFPB). 

Since then, the Task Force has directly responded to a myriad of other unlawful directives issued by the Trump administration. Their briefs have been cited in rulings to halt Trump’s sweeping “Liberation Day” tariffs, which were also struck down by the Supreme Court, as well as in a federal judge’s decision to block the dismantling of the Department of Education. 

For more information on the Litigation Task Force’s efforts to protect Americans against the unlawful actions of the Trump administration, visit litigationandresponse.house.gov.