Yesterday, the House of Representatives passed S. 932, the No CORRUPTION Act, a critical bipartisan reform that ensures former members of Congress convicted of crimes can no longer collect taxpayer-funded pensions. The Senate unanimously passed this commonsense legislation in July, and it now heads to President Joe Biden’s desk for his signature.
This victory is the culmination of years of effort by NTU supporters and allies to address a loophole in federal law, one that allowed disgraced former lawmakers to continue receiving generous pensions funded by hardworking taxpayers—even after sentencing for corruption-related crimes.
How It Started: NTU and NTU Foundation’s Role
The Honest Leadership and Open Government Act (HLOGA) of 2007 listed specific corruption-related crimes that would strip retirement benefits from guilty lawmakers. The STOCK ACT of 2012 strengthened the measure by specifying additional crimes. National Taxpayers Union (NTU) played a significant role in enacting HLOGA: at the time, NTU had counted 20 lawmakers over the previous two and a half decades who were found guilty of serious crimes while in office. All of these members remained eligible for or were still collecting congressional retirement benefits.
It looked as though former Rep. Chaka Fattah (D-PA) would be the first member of Congress to forfeit his pension benefits after he was sentenced to ten years in prison for corruption in 2016. However, there was confusion over whether this would happen because HLOGA’s pension stripping provision does not kick in until a member is “finally convicted.” NTUF staff discovered through outreach to the Office of Personnel Management (OPM) that Fattah remained eligible to receive his pension despite his prison sentence because he had not yet exhausted his appeal rights. OPM clarified:
“Representative Fattah has not exhausted his appeal rights. Therefore, OPM will wait until any appellate activity has concluded before taking appropriate action regarding Representative Fattah’s benefits.”
NTUF highlighted this loophole in an op-ed in the Washington Examiner. This article caught the attention of Rep. Claudia Tenney (R-NY), who introduced the first version of the bill, H.R. 4314, the No Pensions for Corrupt Politicians Act of 2017. Tenney’s bill sought to ensure that convicted members would lose access to their congressional pensions as soon as they were sentenced—not years later, after lengthy appeals.
Persistence and Bipartisan Progress
When Tenney left Congress in the 116th Congress, Sens. Jacky Rosen (D-NV) and Rick Scott (R-FL), along with Rep. Ralph Norman (R-SC) introduced in their respective chambers revised versions of the bill now known as the No Congressionally-Obligated Recurring Revenue Used as Pensions To Incarcerated Officials Now (No CORRUPTION) Act.
The Senate Committee on Homeland Security and Governmental Affairs (HSGAC) took up the measure in 2020 during the 116th Congress, approving it unanimously. While progress stalled, supporters remained persistent. HSGAC approved the bill again in 2021 during the 117th Congress, and the Senate passed it unanimously.
Finally, in 2023—during the current 118th Congress—HSGAC again approved the measure, the full Senate passed it, and this week the House followed suit, sending the bill to the president’s desk. After years of effort, taxpayers are on the verge of a long-overdue victory.
Renewed Urgency and Public Support
National Taxpayers Union Foundation has been the leader in publicizing the loophole, including authoring a commentary featured in a Wall Street Journal, and in the Sun Sentinel with Sen. Scott. The corruption indictment last year of Senator Bob Menendez (D-NY) and his conviction this summer sparked renewed interest in ending congressional pension disbursements following a conviction.
The No CORRUPTION Act ensures that convicted lawmakers cannot exploit taxpayer dollars to fund their retirements while serving time for betraying the public trust. It clarifies that congressional pensions will be suspended between sentencing and final conviction—a crucial fix that protects taxpayers and restores accountability.
A Win for Accountability and Taxpayers
This bipartisan reform represents a significant step forward for accountability in government. Members convicted of corruption should not be eligible for a taxpayer-funded pension.
We are proud to have led the fight to close this loophole. Thanks to the efforts of lawmakers like Senator Jacky Rosen, Senator Rick Scott, Representative Ralph Norman, and Representative Claudia Tenney, the No CORRUPTION Act will soon become law.
This victory belongs to taxpayers. At a time of low public trust in government, closing this loophole is a commonsense way of helping to restore integrity and accountability in Washington.