# 119-s-3646: No Political Enemies Act 119-s-3646, No Political Enemies Act, is a 119th Congress bill sponsored by Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] (D-CT); status introduced (as of 2026-08-11). - Canonical: https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3646 - As of: 2026-08-11 - Plain-text twin of the page above; the HTML and this file carry the same facts. ## Facts - Bill: 119-s-3646 - Congress: 119 - Title: No Political Enemies Act - Status: introduced - Introduced: 2026-01-14 - Sponsor: Sen. Murphy, Christopher [D-CT] (D-CT) - Cosponsors: 10 - Policy area: Civil Rights and Liberties, Minority Issues - Touches household money: no - Last recorded action: 2026-08-11 ## Summary **ban political targeting by federal officials**. This bill would protect U.S. citizens, residents, and domestic organizations from enforcement actions substantially motivated by protected political speech. It would create defenses, lawsuits, fee awards, funding limits, and reporting rules to stop or undo such actions. - Families, activists, and businesses could ask federal courts to block investigations or enforcement actions that are substantially motivated by protected speech. They could seek injunctions and, if constitutional rights were violated, recover damages. - Covered federal officials and agencies would face a heightened government burden to prove enforcement actions were not politically motivated by clear and convincing evidence. The measure would bar use of federal funds for covered actions substantially motivated by protected speech. - Courts and lawyers would see broader remedies and costs rules. Judges could order expedited discovery and in-camera reviews, and may award attorneys’ fees without a statutory cap when government actions were driven by protected speech. The Attorney General would also provide regular public reports to Congress on major investigations and enforcement decisions. ## Cosponsors (10) - Sen. Schumer, Charles E. [D-NY] (D-NY), 2026-01-14T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Alsobrooks, Angela D. [D-MD] (D-MD), 2026-01-14T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Blumenthal, Richard [D-CT] (D-CT), 2026-01-14T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Booker, Cory A. [D-NJ] (D-NJ), 2026-01-14T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Merkley, Jeff [D-OR] (D-OR), 2026-01-14T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Padilla, Alex [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-01-14T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Schiff, Adam B. [D-CA] (D-CA), 2026-01-14T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Smith, Tina [D-MN] (D-MN), 2026-01-14T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Van Hollen, Chris [D-MD] (D-MD), 2026-01-14T00:00:00.000Z - Sen. Welch, Peter [D-VT] (D-VT), 2026-01-14T00:00:00.000Z ## Provisions PRIA read - Money damages and fee awards: benefit, high. If enacted, a covered person could sue a covered Federal official for money damages when the official knowingly started an action substantially motivated by the person's protected speech and the person's constitutional rights were violated. The bill would limit official immunity to the maximum allo… - Suing to stop political targeting: benefit, high. If enacted, a covered person would be able to raise an affirmative defense that an enforcement claim was substantially motivated by protected speech. Courts would order expedited discovery into the government's motives and could review privileged materials in camera if the Attorney General claims p… - Ban on politically motivated enforcement: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would bar covered Federal officials from starting or directing investigations, prosecutions, regulatory, or enforcement actions when the action is substantially motivated by a person's protected speech or participation. It would also bar obligating or spending Federal funds for… - Who is protected and what’s covered: benefit, high. If enacted, the bill would define exactly who the law calls a "covered person" and what government actions are covered. Covered persons would include U.S. citizens and nationals, lawful permanent residents, people present in the U.S. or territories, and domestic entities organized under U.S. or sta… - Quarterly DOJ reports to Congress: benefit, medium. If enacted, the Attorney General would have to send the House and Senate Judiciary Committees an unclassified report within 30 days after each quarter ends. Reports would summarize covered criminal investigations, prosecutions, and enforcement actions that required headquarters approval or were des… - Severability if part is invalid: benefit, low. If enacted, the bill would say that if a court strikes down any part of the Act, the rest of the Act would stay in effect. The clause would keep other provisions from falling away if one provision is held unconstitutional. ## Related bills - 119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026 - 119-s-2823: FAMILY Act - 119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act - 119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026 - 119-s-1503: Equality Act - 119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act ## Sources - [119-s-3646 on Congress.gov](https://www.congress.gov/bill/119th-congress/senate-bill/3646) ## Related - [119-s-5066: Health Equity and Accountability Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5066) - [119-s-2823: FAMILY Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2823) - [119-s-51: Washington, D.C. Admission Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-51) - [119-s-5108: Right to IVF Act of 2026](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-5108) - [119-s-1503: Equality Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-1503) - [119-s-2295: Child Care for Working Families Act](https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-2295) - [All bills in Congress](https://policyrisk.com/legislation) Source: PRIA, https://policyrisk.com/legislation/119-s-3646 (as of 2026-08-11).