Democrats to Intro ‘Presidential Library Anti-Corruption’ Bill After Paramount, Disney Lawsuit Settlements With Trump

A group of Democrats in Congress is introducing legislation to close “loopholes” that allow for unchecked donations to presidential libraries. The new bill comes after Paramount Global and Disney each agreed to pay $16 million to President Donald Trump — with most of the money earmarked for Trump’s future presidential library — to settle lawsuits he had filed against the media companies.

The bill, the Presidential Library Anti-Corruption Act of 2025, is spearheaded by Sen. Elizabeth Warren, who has called Paramount’s settlement with Trump tantamount to bribery, alleging the payment represents a quid-pro-quo to secure the administration’s approval for the Skydance Media deal. (Paramount, Trump and FCC Chairman Brendan Carr have said the FCC’s review of the Skydance transaction is unrelated to Trump’s suit against Paramount and CBS.)

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In addition to the Paramount and Disney payments toward Trump’s presidential library, the Democrats cited Meta’s $25 million deal with Trump to settle his lawsuit over the Facebook and Instagram ban on his account after the Jan. 6, 2021, riot on Capitol Hill and a similar $10 million settlement with Elon Musk’s X. Most of those funds are also targeted for Trump’s presidential library.

In addition, Warren called out President Trump’s accepting a free Boeing luxury jet valued at $400 million from the government of Qatar, a gift that would subsequently be donated to his presidential library after he leaves office. Trump also reportedly plans to funnel leftover inaugural committee donations from corporations to his presidential library. The Democrats noted that other presidents, including Bill Clinton and George W. Bush, have also faced scrutiny over questionable donations to their libraries while in office.

“Presidential libraries should be monuments to history, not backdoor vehicles for influence,” the Democrats said in a brief outlining the legislation.

The Warren-led bill is co-sponsored by Sen. Richard Blumenthal (D-Conn.) and Reps. Jared Moskowitz (D-Fla.), Melanie Stansbury (D-N.M.) and Jamie Raskin (D-Md.).

It’s not clear the bill has a chance of getting through the Republican-controlled Congress, as GOP members have shown fealty to President Trump.

Warren on Tuesday released an analysis finding that companies “seeking favorable outcomes from the Trump administration have pledged to funnel at least $63 million into Trump’s future presidential library.” Including the $400 million jet from Qatar, the total value of “gifts flowing into Trump’s library” is at least half a billion dollars, Warren claimed.

According to the Democrats, unlike donations to presidential campaigns or inaugural committees, there are virtually no restrictions on donations to presidential libraries in U.S. law. Even while still in office, presidents can solicit “unlimited, undisclosed donations from anyone,” including foreign nationals, lobbyists, federal contractors and corporations with business before federal agencies, for their libraries.

The Presidential Library Anti-Corruption Act would specifically:

• Delay fundraising to start after the president leaves office, with a carveout for nonprofits: This would require that presidential libraries wait until a U.S. president leaves office before fundraising or accepting donations, except from 501(c)(3) organizations (mirroring the standard adopted by the Obama Foundation).
• Establish a contribution cap of $10,000 total for 501(c)(3) organizations that can donate while a president is still in office.
• Impose a “cooling-off” period for donations from foreign nationals, lobbyists, contractors, and individuals seeking pardons: For an additional two years after the president leaves office, the legislation would prohibit donations from foreign nationals or foreign governments, registered lobbyists, federal contractors, and individuals seeking presidential pardons.
• Ban the use of presidential library donations for personal expenses or unrelated financial obligations.
• Mandate quarterly disclosures: During the president’s time in office and for five years after, require all donations of $200 or more to be disclosed to the National Archives each calendar quarter. Publish donor information (including name, employer, and date and amount of the donation) online in a searchable, downloadable format.
• Prohibit straw donations: Make it illegal to donate in someone else’s name or to knowingly allow your name to be used for a straw donation.

According to the congressional Democrats, the bill is endorsed by: the Project On Government Oversight (POGO), Citizens for Responsibility and Ethics in Washington (CREW), Democracy Defenders Action (DDA), Campaign Legal Center (CLC), Freedom of the Press Foundation, Public Citizen, Society for Historians of American Foreign Relations, Demand Progress and the American Governance Institute.