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November 19, 2025

King Cosponsors Effort to Repeal Provision Allowing Lawmakers to Sue Justice Department for Phone Surveillance

Bill would repeal a provision added to last week’s Continuing Resolution allowing senators to collect $500,000 per lawfully subpoenaed phone record

WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Angus King (I-ME), alongside 27 of his colleagues, has introduced legislation to prevent the special protection of lawmakers in federal investigations. The Anti-Cash Grab Act would repeal a provision — quietly added at the last minute into the Senate government funding bill — that would award $500,000 or more in damages to senators whose records were lawfully obtained by the Department of Justice (DOJ) if their cases are successful in a court of law.

The bill comes after the Senate Judiciary Committee released FBI records related to “Arctic Frost,” a 2021 investigation into efforts to overthrow the 2020 election. During the investigation, former Special Counsel Jack Smith legally subpoenaed the phone records of eight Republican senators, as well as hundreds of Republican officials, activists and organizations.

“The American people deserve transparency and accountability, and that’s what we ought to be delivering — not sneaking 11th hour provisions into a bill to end the longest running government shutdown in our nation’s history,” said Senator King. “The Anti-Cash Grab Act makes it crystal clear that lawmakers should not be granted special privileges when federal investigations legally look into their activities. Period. This was a bad faith provision that has created a bipartisan outcry, and I’m urging all my colleagues to support efforts to overturn it.”

The Anti-Cash Grab Act is sponsored by U.S. Senators Martin Heinrich (D-NM), Mark Kelly (D-AZ), Angela Alsobrooks (D-MD), Tammy Baldwin (D-WI.), Michael Bennet (D-CO), Cory Booker (D-NJ), Richard Blumenthal (D-CT.), Chris Coons (D-DE), Catherine Cortez Masto (D-NV), Tammy Duckworth (D-IL), Dick Durbin (D-IL), Kirsten Gillibrand (D-NY), Tim Kaine (D-VA), Amy Klobuchar (D-MN), Ben Ray Luján (D-NM), Ed Markey (D-MA), Jeff Merkley (D-OR), Patty Murray (D-WA), Alex Padilla (D-CA), Gary Peters (D-MI), Jack Reed (D-RI), Brain Schatz (D-HI), Jeanne Shaheen (D-NH), Chris Van Hollen (D-MD), Peter Welch (D-VT), Sheldon Whitehouse (D-RI) and Ron Wyden (D-OR).

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