Rep. Ro Khanna (D-Calif.) put Republicans on the spot with the introduction of his Drain the Swamp Act, a bill aimed at banning White House officials from accepting gifts from lobbyists and preventing them from becoming lobbyists.
The bill directly challenges Trump to uphold his long-standing campaign promise to "drain the swamp" by eliminating government corruption.
Trump promised to drain the swamp, but he reversed Biden's order and is letting White House officials accept lobbyist gifts.
— Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) February 25, 2025
That's why I'm introducing the Drain the Swamp Act. It will ban White House officials from accepting gifts from lobbyists or becoming lobbyists during the... pic.twitter.com/Nr7uHpbeDk
"President Trump campaigned around the country to 'drain the swamp', yet one of the first things he did was reverse President Biden's executive order that banned White House officials from accepting gifts from lobbyists," Khanna said on the House floor. "I believe that this bill will have support, not just from progressives, not just from independents, but from the MAGA movement."
Khanna's move forces Trump-aligned Republicans to either support stricter ethics reforms—aligning with Trump's past rhetoric—or reject the bill, which could be seen as backtracking on promises to clean up Washington.
Last month, Sen. Elizabeth Warren (D-Mass.) accused Trump of breaking his promise to "drain the swamp" during his first term in a letter urging him to address "key corruption risks," a likely reference to Elon Musk, who holds a government role while maintaining extensive private business interests.
"The American people have seen that, all too often, government officials use their positions to benefit their own pocketbooks," Warren wrote. "Even the appearance of such corruption is enough to damage Americans' trust in government."
Khanna's bill is the latest effort from Democrats to test whether Trump and his allies are willing to follow through on anti-corruption rhetoric—or if "draining the swamp" was just a campaign slogan.
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