Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer, D-N.Y., announced on Thursday, July 30, 2026, legislation to establish a new federal agency called the Anti-Corruption Bureau. The agency would be tasked with investigating alleged misconduct involving President Donald Trump and future presidential administrations.

Unveiled during Public Citizen's "Combating Corruption" event, Schumer described the bill as the "biggest, boldest and broadest proposal ever put forward to revitalize our anti-corruption institutions."

The Anti-Corruption Bureau would have subpoena power and the authority to investigate the Trump administration even after Trump leaves office. Additionally, the bill would empower citizens and state attorneys general to file lawsuits aimed at recovering money stolen through government misconduct.

If passed, the bureau would replace the Office of Government Ethics, the Federal Election Commission, and the Office of Special Counsel, marking a significant restructuring of federal ethics oversight, according to The Washington Post.

The legislation also proposes banning presidents, vice presidents, their spouses, adult children, and many senior administration officials from seeking or accepting gifts valued over $50,000. It would apply retroactively starting January 20, 2025 — the first day of Trump's second term — and establish a 10-year statute of limitations.

To ensure its independence, the bureau would have a self-sustaining funding source similar to that of the Federal Reserve. Schumer emphasized that the bill explicitly prohibits weaponizing the bureau, addressing concerns such as "What if Trump tries to commandeer [the Anti-Corruption Bureau] to go after his political opponents?"

The proposal represents a major federal bureaucracy overhaul aimed at strengthening oversight and accountability of the executive branch.

Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer

Sources