Greg Stanton Calls Senator Payment Provision 'Unethical'

Representative Greg Stanton (D-AZ) strongly opposed a provision that would have paid senators $500,000 if their phone records were seized, calling the scheme "unethical" and commemorating its elimination on November 19.

"Tucked inside government funding bill was a provision that could allow senators to receive personal payouts if their phone records were seized in the federal January 6th investigation," Stanton wrote on X. "Tonight I joined my House colleagues to vote to eliminate it."

The House unanimously voted 426-0 to repeal the provision after backlash from lawmakers like Stanton, who discovered it hidden in legislation that had passed the previous week as part of a broader package to end a government shutdown. The measure had passed just days earlier as part of a larger funding package, surprising many representatives.

Stanton criticized the provision, emphasizing that "this whole scheme is unethical and never should have passed in the first place." His comments added to concerns raised by members from both parties about how the provision was included without extensive review.

The Provision

The law had required service providers to notify senators if their phone records or other data were seized, unless the senator was the target of a criminal investigation. It allowed senators to sue the federal government for $500,000 for each violation.

The provision had been included in a yearlong measure to fund the legislative branch. During the House Rules Committee proceedings last week, Democrats attempted to remove the provision. However, Republicans argued that doing so would send the bill back to the Senate and prolong the government shutdown.

Several Republican committee members indicated they were unaware of the provision's inclusion until the hearings.

Senate Majority Leader John Thune described the original provision as addressing a matter of principle rather than compensation, while acknowledging that concerns about transparency in its inclusion were valid.

The bill now moves to the Senate for consideration.