Drain the Swamp Act
Sponsored By: Representative Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1]
Introduced
Summary
This bill would overhaul ethics and transparency across the federal government to _curb conflicts of interest in federal office_. It also would reshape Supreme Court tenure and ethics, expand voting‑rights enforcement and redistricting rules, and tighten campaign finance and inaugural donation limits.
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- Covered public officials and related persons would face strict divestiture and disclosure rules and new emoluments reporting. Officials in office at enactment must divest within 180 days and those who later become covered must divest within 90 days.
- The bill centralizes enforcement powers. The Office of Government Ethics and the Attorney General gain new civil and criminal enforcement tools, private qui tam‑style suits are allowed for some violations, and OGE can require disgorgement, fines, or divestiture for unlawful payments.
- Voters and States face stronger redistricting transparency and voting‑rights standards. Proposed plans must be posted at least 5 days before a vote and written evaluations released at least 48 hours before a vote. The bill also expands Section 2 vote‑dilution claims and creates practice‑based preclearance.
- Campaign donors and organizations would see tighter rules. The measure bans corporate political action committees, caps inaugural committee donations at $50,000, and forces faster and broader donor disclosure and FECA reporting for large spenders and judicial nomination communications.
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Bill Overview
Analyzed Economic Effects
6 provisions identified: 0 benefits, 3 costs, 3 mixed.
Loss of pay and benefits for convicted officials
If enacted, a former President finally convicted of certain felonies would lose the Former Presidents Act allowance and must repay amounts received between initial and final conviction. Members of Congress and Cabinet members finally convicted of qualifying felonies committed while in office would lose some federal retirement benefits. The bill would also reduce Members' pay by one day's pay for each day of a government shutdown or each 24‑hour period the public debt limit is reached, with withheld amounts held in escrow for the 119th Congress.
Stricter ethics, divestiture, and markets rules
If enacted, covered officials would be banned from buying, holding, or trading defined investments while in office and would have to divest within set deadlines (180 days if covered at enactment, 90 days if later). Supervising ethics offices could require a fee equal to 10% of an offending asset's value plus disgorgement of profits. The bill would also bar covered officials from political prediction‑market trades, expand OGE reporting and enforcement powers, require OSC investigations on set timelines, and require OGE rules limiting legal expense funds within one year.
Stronger voting rights and maps
If enacted, the bill would block certain election changes in places with large racial or language minority groups. It would set a three‑part test before some vote‑dilution claims and require courts to draw maps if a State misses new deadlines. The bill would bring back practice‑based preclearance in covered places, create AG oversight and small‑jurisdiction grants, and make it easier for some successful plaintiffs to recover fees.
Tighter campaign money and disclosure
If enacted, the bill would ban corporate PACs except for tax‑exempt nonprofit corporations and force nonqualifying funds to close within one year. Organizations spending more than $10,000 per election cycle would file sworn 24‑hour reports listing beneficial owners and each payment over $1,000. The bill would also propose a constitutional amendment letting Congress and states limit election spending, and it would require separate reporting for Federal judicial nomination spending.
More checks on pardons and Presidency
If enacted, the bill would require the Attorney General to give Congress prosecution and investigation materials within 30 days after covered pardons. It would say a President's self‑pardon is void. The bill would expand bribery coverage to include the President and pardons, require sworn AG certifications before dismissing prosecutions of a President or President‑elect, and pause limitations calculations while someone serves as President or Vice‑President.
Supreme Court appointments and ethics office
If enacted, the bill would set a schedule for Supreme Court nominations (one nominee in the first and third years after a Presidential election) and limit new justices to a single 18‑year term. The Senate would generally have 90 days to act, with a 120‑day fallback. The Chief Justice could create an Office of Investigative Counsel with paid investigators, subpoena power, and reporting duties to investigate ethics complaints against justices.
Sponsors & CoSponsors
Sponsor
Landsman, Greg [D-OH-1]
OH • D
Cosponsors
Rep. Riley, Josh [D-NY-19]
NY • D
Sponsored 6/9/2026
Rep. Stansbury, Melanie A. [D-NM-1]
NM • D
Sponsored 6/29/2026
Roll Call Votes
No roll call votes available for this bill.
View on Congress.gov