Democrats are stepping up their midterm elections messaging against President Donald Trump and his alleged self-dealing, with Senate Minority Leader Chuck Schumer unveiling legislation Thursday to create a new federal agency dedicated to investigating corruption in the executive branch.
The New York Democrats’ new bill would create an “Anti-Corruption Bureau” within the federal government — an independent agency that he said would wield “sweeping” investigative, subpoena and enforcement powers.
The measure is squarely aimed at countering what Democrats argue is unprecedented self-dealing in the Trump administration.
“We have reached a level of corruption unseen in America in all of history,” Schumer told MS NOW on Thursday during an interview in his Capitol Hill office. “Trump has come up with pernicious, but very clever new ways to enrich himself at the taxpayers’ expense.”
Since Trump returned to the Oval Office, he’s seen his personal wealth surge — bringing in more than $2 billion in 2025 alone, according to an analysis by The New York Times.
In his annual financial disclosure released last month, the president reported more than $1.4 billion in cryptocurrency-related income. He also earned more than $500 million from World Liberty Financial, the cryptocurrency company he co-founded in 2024 with his sons, Eric Trump and Donald Trump Jr. The disclosure also listed $635 million in income tied to sales of his $TRUMP meme coin.
Trump has denied any wrongdoing.
The new agency would be led by a seven-member, Senate-confirmed board.
Schumer said he crafted the proposal to withstand efforts to cripple the agency — including by removing or not appointing new members to the board. Under the legislation, judges on the U.S. Court of Appeals for the D.C. Circuit could temporarily appoint board members to keep the agency operational.
The bill also would empower private plaintiffs — including state attorneys general — to sue to recover money obtained through alleged corruption by a president, members of an administration, campaign officials or government contractors.
Schumer illustrated the concept by pointing to Trump’s meme coin.
“If the attorney general of, say, New York felt that the meme coin was ripping off her citizens,” he said, “they can sue Trump and get the money back and return it to the citizenry.”
The proposal faces extraordinarily long odds.
To become law, the legislation would need the backing of Republicans in Congress and either Trump’s signature or enough GOP lawmakers to override the president’s veto. Even if Democrats retake Congress during the midterms, Trump would still have veto power for the next two years.
But Schumer said that was no reason to wait.
“We have to start with this legislation and start building support, both within the Congress and with the American people,” he said.
He added that the new agency could work “retroactively” — hypothetically holding Trump accountable even after he leaves office.
“Frankly, it can be applied to future presidents who might do such corrupt things as well,” Schumer said. “We’ve had much too much corruption in the government. Trump has raised it to a new level. We need new tools.”
The rollout comes as Democrats have made government ethics and combatting alleged corruption a central tenet of their midterm message, alongside cost-of-living concerns.
They have repeatedly argued that Trump is personally profiting off the presidency while everyday Americans are struggling financially.
Schumer’s announcement also comes amid a firestorm on Capitol Hill over Trump’s deal — brokered by his own Department of Justice — with the IRS, effectively shielding him from tax audits.
At least two Senate Republicans have demanded changes to that agreement before they will vote to confirm acting Attorney General Todd Blanche the position permanently, arguing the settlement requires stronger safeguards.
Asked what role this new bill could play in cracking down on attempted corruption, Schumer said it would be up to state attorneys general to act on their new powers.
“In many areas of the law, when there’s a crime, if there’s an attempt to do that crime, it’s also criminal,” he said.
And asked if that behavior amounted to an impeachable offense, Schumer noted that’s a decision left to the House.
“The bottom line is, he is so corrupt that we have to look at everything,” he said.
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