Staff Reports
Washington, D.C. – Senators Mark Kelly (D-AZ) and Martin Heinrich (D-NM) introduced the Anti-Cash Grab Act on Tuesday, a bill aimed at repealing a controversial provision slipped into a recent Senate government funding package that would allow senators to collect $500,000 for each lawfully subpoenaed phone record disclosed.
The provision, inserted at the last minute by Senate Majority Leader John Thune (R-SD), was not publicly debated before the broader funding bill’s passage. Critics have labeled it a taxpayer-funded windfall for members of Congress at a time when many Americans are struggling with rising costs.
“While we were fighting to lower health care costs and keep food on the table for hardworking Americans, Senate Republicans were slipping a taxpayer-funded payout for themselves into the government funding bill,” Sen. Kelly said in a statement. “It’s a political cash grab—plain and simple, and our bill puts an end to it. Republicans and Democrats should be able to agree that ripping off American taxpayers is bad policy.”
Sen. Heinrich, the ranking Democrat on the Senate Appropriations Subcommittee on the Legislative Branch, was equally blunt: “Negotiating a $500,000 windfall for yourself while refusing to help everyday Americans is wrong and deserves to be called out. Our bill is about accountability, transparency, and fighting for working families.”
The Anti-Cash Grab Act has drawn broad Democratic support, with 26 original cosponsors including Sens. Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Patty Murray (D-WA), and Ron Wyden (D-OR), as well as independent Sen. Angus King (I-ME), who caucuses with Democrats.
Senate Republican leadership has not yet issued a formal response to the legislation or the Democratic criticism. The original provision’s inclusion in the funding bill has sparked outrage among government watchdog groups and fiscal conservatives who argue it represents an inappropriate use of public funds.
The full text of the Anti-Cash Grab Act and a one-page summary have been released by the sponsors’ offices.
As Congress prepares for the next funding cycle, the fate of both the original payout provision and the Democratic repeal effort remains uncertain.
