Among other things, the Trump Administration taught us that the norms, rules and laws expected of an American President can be rejected without consequence. Many claim the abuse of power for political or personal gain by this president is unique to modern history and may have permanently damaged our democracy. Some of these abuses include profiting from his presidency; colluding with Russia to win the Presidency, and obstructing the resulting Mueller and Congressional investigations; politicizing the Justice Department and FBI to serve his personal needs; conspiring with Ukraine to announce a baseless investigation into the Bidens in order to help his re-election; firing several inspectors general and whistleblowers after they criticized his administration; telling 30,573 misleading or false claims over four years – including the big lie that he won reelection; and preventing the peaceful transfer of power by encouraging his followers to storm our Capitol. Critics also claim his pardon process, conducted without input from the Justice Department, undercut anti-corruption efforts and undermined the rule of law.

Advocates claim we need to restore the proper balance of power between the president and Congress, particularly when it comes to the president’s use of emergency powers. They say institutional checks are needed to prevent presidential overreach and abuse.

Pending Legislation: H.R.5048 - Protecting Our Democracy Act
Sponsor: Rep. Adam Schiff (CA)
Status: Referred to 9 Committees for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker.
House Minority Leader: Rep. Hakeem Jeffries (NY) (Requesting Discharge Petition)