Warren and Blumenthal Move to Cap Presidential Library Donations After Trump Deals

U.S. Senate Democrats led by Elizabeth Warren of Massachusetts and Richard Blumenthal of Connecticut are set to introduce the Presidential Library Anti-Corruption Act on Wednesday, aiming to tighten rules around fundraising for presidential libraries. The bill would bar sitting presidents from soliciting most donations until they leave office, impose a $10,000 cap on contributions from nonprofit groups, and require quarterly public disclosure of gifts over $200. It also seeks to prohibit donations from foreign nationals, federal contractors, lobbyists and pardon-seekers for two years after a president’s term and bans straw donations or personal use of library funds. Lawmakers drafted the measure after a series of settlements directed large sums to President Donald Trump’s planned library. Paramount Global and Disney each paid $16 million to settle litigation with Trump, while Meta and Elon Musk’s X agreed to pay $25 million and $10 million, respectively. A CBS News analysis estimates at least $63 million from those settlements is earmarked for the library, in addition to a $400 million Boeing 747 donated by Qatar that is expected to become an exhibit once decommissioned. Supporters say the legislation would close a loophole that allows unlimited, undisclosed donations to presidential libraries, a gap critics argue can serve as a backdoor for influence peddling. Similar proposals have stalled in the past, and with both chambers currently under Republican control the bill faces long odds this session. Still, Democrats contend the initiative lays groundwork for future oversight should the balance of power in Congress shift.