S. 4299 — Ban Presidential Plunder of Taxpayer Funds Act

This section establishes in new 28 U.S.C. §2417 rules prohibiting "covered individuals"—defined as the President; Vice President; a former President whose former Vice President is the current President; their spouses or dependent children; and related trusts or entities—from receiving settlement payments, attorney's fees, or other monetary or in-kind payments from the United States via administrative claims, civil actions, settlements, or consent decrees. It further bans such individuals from directing such payments to third parties or filing administrative claims seeking such payments and prohibits federal agencies from processing or fulfilling them. The section limits courts, in civil actions by covered individuals against the United States, to awarding only actual or compensatory damages—and only if the court appoints an independent counsel (removable only for cause) to represent the defending agency, the agency cooperates fully under court supervision, and all filings, proceedings, and audio are published online contemporaneously and free of charge. For former covered individuals after leaving office, the section permits administrative claims or suits against the United States if (1) an expert career employee (removable only for good cause) leads review; (2) no executive branch employee or official appointed by a covered individual participates; (3) settlement agreements are published in the Federal Register within 7 days; (4) payment details (amount, date, form) are published in the Federal Register within 7 days; and (5) the agency notifies relevant congressional committees of the claim beforehand and any resolution concurrently with the claimant. It imposes penalties on covered individuals who willfully violate the settlement ban or knowingly file prohibited claims—disgorgement, civil penalties up to the greater of $1 million or the payment amount, imprisonment up to 5 years, or any combination—and on federal officers or employees who willfully cause agency violations—civil penalties up to $50,000, imprisonment up to 6 months, or both. Enforcement actions have a 10-year statute of limitations.