Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-New York) plans to introduce legislation creating a federal agency aimed at combating corruption within the U.S. government, citing concerns about conduct during the Trump administration. The proposal comes as Democrats seek to present a unified agenda before the November midterm elections, where they aim to regain control of both chambers of Congress.

The bill would establish the Anti-Corruption Bureau, consolidating oversight responsibilities currently spread across the Office of Government Ethics, the Federal Election Commission, and the Office of Special Counsel. The new agency would be governed by a seven-member bipartisan board confirmed by the Senate, with no more than three members from either party. It would be vested with broad investigative powers, including subpoena authority, and structured with funding mechanisms designed to insulate it from political interference, similarly to the Federal Reserve.

Under the proposed legislation, presidents, vice presidents, their spouses, adult children, and many senior administration officials would be prohibited from "corruptly" soliciting or accepting gifts exceeding $50,000. The bill would also grant state attorneys general and private parties the ability to bring lawsuits over alleged violations. The bureau would have the authority to investigate conduct going back to January 20, 2025—the start of a possible second Trump term—with a statute of limitations of 10 years.

Schumer framed the legislation as a response to what he described as a pervasive level of corruption in Washington, breaking from the public’s previous tendency to dismiss unethical behavior as routine politics. “People don’t just say it’s Washington anymore. They say, ‘This is a new level and we’ve got to stop it,’” he said in an interview.

House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-New York) echoed Schumer’s concerns, calling for greater accountability in the face of what he termed unprecedented corruption. Democrats have highlighted various controversies related to the Trump family’s financial dealings, including the former president’s reported $2.2 billion income last year from ventures such as cryptocurrency, as well as investments by Trump’s sons in defense technology firms benefited by Pentagon contracts.

The White House denied the allegations of conflicts of interest, with spokeswoman Anna Kelly stating that Trump’s investments are managed by independent third parties and dismissing the charges as a "tired narrative" pushed by Democrats for years.

Experts and lawmakers note the bill faces significant obstacles, particularly in the Republican-controlled Senate, where it would require 60 votes to overcome a filibuster. Even if Democrats regain majorities in Congress and the presidency in 2028, garnering sufficient bipartisan support could remain challenging. Nonetheless, Schumer expressed optimism that growing frustration with corruption might sway some Republicans to back the measure.

The new agency would be broader in scope than previous efforts to investigate government misconduct, such as the independent counsel provisions under the Ethics of Government Act of 1978, which were allowed to lapse in 1999 amid bipartisan criticism. Special counsel investigations in recent years have also met with political backlash.

Schumer emphasized that the proposed bureau is designed to address systemic corruption rather than isolated incidents, reflecting the party’s determination to overhaul ethics enforcement regardless of which party holds the White House. “We need to clean up this government, period,” he said. “You might have a corrupt Cabinet secretary even in a good administration.”

The initiative forms part of a broader Democratic strategy for the midterm elections, which also includes proposals to reduce costs for housing, energy, health care, food, and child care.