Biden Enacts Law Revoking Taxpayer-Funded Pensions for Convicted Lawmakers
President Joe Biden has officially enacted a law aimed at preventing members of Congress who are convicted of felonies related to public corruption from receiving pensions funded by taxpayers.
On December 24, the White House announced that Biden signed S. 932, known as the No Congressionally Obligated Recurring Revenue Used As Pensions To Incarcerated Officials Now (No CORRUPTION) Act. Proponents argue that this legislation closes a significant loophole in federal pension regulations, which previously permitted lawmakers convicted of certain offenses to continue receiving pensions while they appealed their convictions.
The new law stipulates that former members of Congress will have their pensions revoked immediately following a conviction for specific felonies connected to their official responsibilities, irrespective of how lengthy the appeal process may be.
If a conviction is subsequently overturned, individuals who were affected will be eligible for retroactive pension payments during the period their pensions were suspended. Under previous federal law, convicted members could only lose their pensions after completing all their appeals.
Introduced by Senators Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in March 2023, the bill received strong bipartisan backing. It was unanimously passed by the Senate last year and approved by the House earlier this month. The support for this legislation and its signing by Biden exemplifies a shared commitment among party members to combat unethical conduct among legislators and safeguard taxpayer funds.
“For too long, corrupt politicians in Washington have been taking advantage of a loophole in the system to keep receiving taxpayer-funded pensions even after being convicted of felonies,” Rosen stated. “I will continue to seek bipartisan solutions to protect the hard-earned money of the people of Nevada.”
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Scott concurred, highlighting the necessity of protecting taxpayer interests.
“If you are a Member of Congress and convicted of a crime involving public corruption, you should forfeit all pension benefits provided to you by taxpayers and hardworking families—period,” Scott remarked in a statement. “Making Washington effective for American families necessitates real reforms that dismantle the ongoing dysfunction.”
The No CORRUPTION Act is part of broader legislative efforts aimed at rebuilding public faith in government institutions. Policymakers from both parties have shown support for initiatives addressing perceived abuses of power in Congress, including recent measures focused on preventing financial conflicts of interest, enhancing lobbying transparency, and prohibiting members of Congress from engaging in stock trading.
This legislation comes at a time when public confidence in government is hovering at historic lows. According to a June 2024 Pew Research Center report, only 22 percent of Americans express trust in the federal government to act in the best interest “just about always” or “most of the time,” a significant decline from the high trust levels seen in the 1960s.
