Biden Signs Law Stripping Convicted Lawmakers of Taxpayer-Funded Pensions

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President Joe Biden has signed a bill cutting pensions for members of Congress convicted of public corruption felonies.

President Joe Biden has signed into law a bill designed to prevent members of Congress convicted of felonies related to public corruption from collecting taxpayer-funded pensions.

The White House announced on Dec. 24 that Biden had signed S. 932, known as the No Congressionally Obligated Recurring Revenue Used As Pensions To Incarcerated Officials Now (No CORRUPTION) Act. Supporters say the bill closes a loophole in federal pension laws that allowed lawmakers convicted of certain crimes to continue collecting pensions while appealing their convictions.

The bill amends the law so that former members of Congress lose their pensions immediately after being convicted of certain felonies related to their official duties, regardless of how long their appeals process takes.

If a conviction is later overturned, affected individuals will be entitled to retroactive pension payments for the period during which their pensions were withheld. Previously, federal law forced convicted members to give up their pensions only after exhausting all their appeals.

Introduced by Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-Nev.) and Rick Scott (R-Fla.) in March 2023, the bill enjoyed broad bipartisan support. It passed the Senate unanimously last year before being approved by the House earlier this month. The legislation’s passage—and its subsequent signing by Biden—reflects agreement across party lines on the need to address unethical behavior among lawmakers and ensure taxpayer dollars are not misused.

“For too long, corrupt Washington politicians have been exploiting a loophole in the system to continue to collect taxpayer-funded pensions even after they have been convicted of felonies,” Rosen said in a statement. “I’ll keep working across party lines to find commonsense solutions to protect Nevadans’ hard-earned dollars.”

Scott echoed the sentiment, emphasizing the importance of taxpayer protection.

“If you are a Member of Congress and convicted of a crime involving public corruption you should lose all pension benefits provided to you by taxpayers and hardworking families—period,“ Scott said in a statement. “Making Washington work for American families requires real reforms that end the current dysfunction.”

The No CORRUPTION Act aligns with broader legislative efforts aimed at restoring public trust in government institutions. Lawmakers from both parties have supported addressing perceived abuses of power in Congress, with recent initiatives focusing on preventing financial conflicts of interest, greater lobbying transparency, and barring members of Congress from trading stocks.

It comes at a time when public trust in government remains near historic lows. According to a June 2024 Pew Research Center report, 22 percent of Americans say they trust the federal government to do what is right “just about always” or “most of the time,” down from high levels of trust seen in the 1960s.