House Democrats have announced a proposal that, broadly, seeks to bolster congressional power with respect to the executive branch of the government, and aims to “prevent future presidential abuses, restore our system of checks and balances, strengthen accountability and transparency, and protect our elections.”
The sweeping legislation, called the Protecting Our Democracy Act (pdf), includes measures to restrict presidential pardon power, enhance Congress’s enforcement authority with respect to members of the executive branch, tighten financial disclosure requirements related to gifts or profits that public servants receive while in office, and reinforce Congress’s ability to enforce subpoenas.
