Rep. Raja Krishnamoorthi on Monday unveiled a detailed “Trump accountability plan” for his U.S. Senate campaign, vowing he would push to restrict ICE agents from wearing masks, block “radical” judges nominated by President Donald Trump, and introduce constitutional amendments to block self-pardons and a potential presidential third term.
Krishnamoorthi’s 17-point plan also includes a push for legislation that would make executive orders targeting individuals or specific entities invalid — and another bill that would give anyone targeted by the Department of Justice for denaturalization the right to a jury trial and the right to counsel.
Krishnamoorthi’s campaign likened the package to the “post-Watergate reforms that helped to rein in the presidency following President Nixon’s blatant abuses of power.” And while it’s unlikely the bulk of his proposed bills will pass, the package offers insight into a key list of priorities for the congressman as he seeks Sen. Dick Durbin’s seat.
“My plan outlines how, as Illinois’ next U.S. Senator, I’ll use every tool in my toolbox to limit the damage he can do to this country and its citizens — while making sure a Trump-like White House, one without deference for the rule of law, due process, and civil rights — never happens again,” Krishnamoorthi said in a statement to the Sun-Times.
Krishnamoorthi, currently the fundraising leader in the Senate race, is vying for Durbin’s seat against U.S. Rep. Robin Kelly and Lt. Gov. Juliana Stratton.
Krishnamoorthi’s package includes a direct response to Texas Republicans and their current Trump-backed redistricting plan. The plan includes legislation to end mid-decade redistricting and require states to use independent commissions or three-judge panels for redistricting and another bill to ban federal agents from arresting state legislators for not attending legislative sessions or leaving their state. Krishnamoorthi also wants legislation passed that would deny federal election grants and funding to states that trigger mid-cycle redistricting for partisan purposes.
Krishnamoorthi’s push for an independent commission or a panel is striking in that it pits him against the state Democratic leaders and Gov. JB Pritzker, who in 2020 helped to redraw maps and whittled the state’s five Republican districts to three. Krishnamoorthi’s 8th District was also stretched to absorb GOP turf.
The extensive policy plan also includes provisions that would require the president, vice president and all cabinet-level nominees to publicly disclose their federal income tax returns for the five years preceding their nomination and for every year in office. And he’ would push to ban them from lobbying their former administration, representing foreign governments or using classified information for private gain. A violation would mean a clawback of post-presidency benefits.
Krishnamoorthi is also in support of banning presidential stock trading.
“No one, including the President, should be able to pad their stock portfolio because of their proximity to power,” his campaign said.
To reign in government overreach, Krishnamoorthi would also support the expansion of the Privacy Act, including limiting the amount of time the government can store data, mandating that the government is only able to collect data that is relevant and necessary and banning the administration from trying to force state to hand over data for invalid purposes, “like targeting immigrants.”
In launching her Senate bid, Kelly said she would focus on health care disparities and pushing to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Advancement Act, which seeks to strengthen voting rights protections with federal oversight and has been reintroduced every year since 2013. She’s has been a longstanding gun violence prevention advocate and helped to craft elements of the Bipartisan Safer Communities Act and the Prevent Gun Trafficking Act. She has said she’ll “continue to take on the gun lobby, crack down on illegal guns in our communities and save lives.”
Stratton, the first major Democrat to announce a Senate campaign to replace Durbin, has said her priorities are to help working families by raising the federal minimum wage to $15 an hour and passing a millionaires tax to create a tax cut for the working class. She has also said she’d work to pass the John Lewis Voting Rights Act, restore abortion protections of Roe v. Wade and help to pass common sense gun safety laws. Stratton’s campaign said she’d also work to restore the Department of Education and invest in grant programs for small business owners.
The three Senate candidates are expected to attend Governor’s Day events at the Illinois State Fair in Springfield on Wednesday.