Dozens of House and Senate Democrats have targeted President-elect Trump in several new bills in the first two weeks of the new Congress, most of which are aimed at requiring Trump to disclose his tax returns, or to fully divest from his investments.
One resolution is aimed at amending the Constitution to eliminate the Electoral College, which many Democrats want after both Hillary Clinton and Al Gore lost to Republicans even after winning the popular vote.
Democrats proposed a wave of similar bills in late 2016, after Trump upset Clinton, but those bills died at the end of the last Congress. The bills are also likely to go nowhere in the current Congress, since both the House and Senate are controlled by Republicans.
Here are the Democrats who have proposed Trump-related legislation so far in the 115th Congress:
Sen. Ben Cardin, D-Md.
S.Con.Res. 4. Clarifying any potential misunderstanding as to whether actions taken by President-elect Donald Trump constitute a violation of the Emoluments clause, and calling on President-elect Trump to divest his interest in, and sever his relationship to, the Trump Organization. Introduced Jan. 4, with 28 cosponsors.
“The American public has a right to know that the President of the United States is acting in their best interest, and not because he or she has received some benefit or gift from a foreign government or related entity,” he said.
Rep. Peter Welch, D-Vt.
H. Con. Res. 5. Concurrent resolution clarifying any potential misunderstanding as to whether actions taken by President-elect Donald Trump constitute a violation of the Emoluments Clause, and calling on President-elect Trump to divest his interest in, and sever his relationship to, the Trump Organization; to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Introduced Jan. 4, with 46 cosponsors.
The resolution “calls upon President-elect Donald J. Trump to follow the precedent established by prior Presidents and convert his assets to simple, conflict-free holdings, adopt blind trusts managed by an independent trustee with no relationship to Donald J. Trump or his businesses, or take other equivalent measures, in order to ensure compliance with the Emoluments Clause of the United States Constitution.”
Rep. Anna Escho, D-Calif.
H.R. 305. A bill to amend the Ethics in Government Act of 1978 to require the disclosure of certain tax returns by Presidents and certain candidates for the office of the President. Introduced Jan. 5, with 30 cosponsors.
Rep. Steve Cohen, D-Tenn.
H.J. Res. 19. A joint resolution proposing an amendment to the Constitution of the United States to abolish the electoral college and to provide for the direct election of the President and Vice President of the United States. Introduced Jan. 5, with 1 cosponsor.
“For the second time in recent memory, and for the fifth time in our history, the national popular vote winner – including Tennesseans Al Gore and Andrew Jackson — will not become President of the United States because of the Electoral College,” Cohen said. “The Electoral College is an antiquated system that was established to prevent citizens from directly electing our nation’s President, yet that notion is antithetical to our understanding of democracy.”
Sen. Elizabeth Warren, D-Mass.
S. 65, A bill to address financial conflicts of interest of the President and Vice President. Introduced Jan. 9, with 23 cosponsors.
“The only way for President-elect Trump to truly eliminate conflicts-of-interest is to divest his financial interests by placing them in a blind trust,” she said. “This has been the standard for previous presidents, and our bill makes clear the continuing expectation that President-elect Trump do the same.”
Rep. Katherine Clark, D-Mass.
H.R. 371. A bill to address financial conflicts of interest of the President and Vice President. Introduced Jan. 9, with 111 cosponsors.
“Mr. Trump has failed to take even modest steps to resolve his conflicts of interest, let alone explain to the public how he will avoid using his office to his own financial benefit,” she said. “If the president-elect will not act, it is imperative that Congress do so.”
Rep. Marcy Kaptur, D-Ohio
H.J. Res. 26. A joint resolution denying Congressional consent for President Donald J. Trump to accept any present, Emolument, Office, or Title, of any kind whatever, from any King, Prince, or foreign state throughout the tenure of his Presidency; to the Committee on Oversight and Government Reform. Introduced Jan. 10, with 36 cosponsors.
“His debt obligations pose great conflicts of interests and the possibility of hidden influences will eclipse every action and decision Mr. Trump makes,” she said. “There is no way to be sure of the full depth of Mr. Trump’s conflicts.”
Rep. David Cicilline, D-R.I.
H.R. 540. A bill to require the disclosure of the Federal income tax returns of the President. Introduced Jan. 13, with 20 cosponsors.
