A bill to prohibit funds made available to the Department of Justice from being used to make a personal payment to the President in connection with a claim that is subject to the Federal Tort Claims Act, whether in the form of a settlement or any other payment from the Judgment Fund for the personal benefit of the President.
S.4124 – Blocks DOJ funds from being used for Federal Tort Claims Act payments to the President
119th Congress
S.4124 would bar the Department of Justice from using its funds to approve or help with any tort claim payment that personally benefits the President. It targets settlements or other payments from the federal Judgment Fund under the Federal Tort Claims Act. The bill has been read twice in the Senate and placed on the calendar.
- Bill Number
- S4124
- Chamber
- senate
What This Bill Does
The bill bans the Department of Justice (DOJ) from using any of its funds to approve or carry out certain legal payments. It covers funds the DOJ had in the past, has now, or will have in the future. The ban applies only to claims handled under the Federal Tort Claims Act, which is the main law that lets people sue the federal government for certain harms. If a claim under that law would lead to a personal payment to the President, the DOJ may not use its money to approve or help with that payment. The bill also makes clear that it includes payments made from the federal "Judgment Fund," which is the fund used to pay many court judgments and legal settlements against the United States. If money from that fund would be paid for the personal benefit of the President, whether as a settlement or any other kind of payment, DOJ funds may not be used to approve or facilitate it.
Why It Matters
This bill deals with how federal money and legal settlement funds can be used when the President is the person receiving the money. It aims to set a line between the government's role in handling legal claims and any personal financial benefit to the President. For people who bring claims against the federal government, this could affect how cases are handled when the President is personally involved, but the exact impact is not clear from the bill alone. For the broader public, the bill is meant to address concerns about the use of government resources in situations where the President could receive personal payments. The bill focuses only on DOJ’s use of its own funds to approve or facilitate such payments. It does not explain in detail what would happen to a qualifying claim or payment if DOJ funds could not be used in this way.