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Rep. Payne, Jr. Supports Bill to Hold Presidents More Accountable

September 25, 2020

Media Contact: Patrick Wright -- Patrick.Wright@mail.house.gov

Washington, D.C. — Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. co-sponsored the Protecting Our Democracy Act today. The bill (H.R. 8363) is a package of measures designed to hold presidents accountable for their actions and restore the country's traditional system of governmental checks and balances. Since he took the oath of office, President Trump has abused the powers of his office to enrich his family business interests, protect his loyalists from Congressional oversight and legal penalties, and seek foreign interference in American elections to try and improve his chances of winning. House Democrats impeached President Trump on December 18, 2019, based on his consistent abuse of presidential authority.

"I was extremely proud to vote for this bill because no president has shown a greater disregard for the Constitution or the safety and welfare of the American people than President Trump," said Congressman Donald M. Payne, Jr. "The Founding Fathers wrote the Constitution with the belief that all American Presidents would put the betterment of the nation ahead of any personal agenda. But they were smart enough to create a system of checks and balances to protect the country in case a president abused the power of his office. This bill strengthens those checks and balances and prohibits future presidents from repeating the same, self-serving actions of President Trump."

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