Sponsors (24)
This bill reduces federal payouts to people convicted of assaulting officers on January 6—saving public funds and signaling accountability for attacks on police—while also blocking some settlement-based redress and potentially shifting costs and prolonging litigation, creating a trade-off between containment of federal liability and limits on compensation and legal resolution.
Taxpayers: Reduces federal outlays by preventing use of federal funds (including the Judgment Fund) to pay settlements to people convicted of assaulting officers on January 6, saving public money that would otherwise be paid from federal coffers.
Law enforcement: Limits federal financial relief to individuals convicted of assaulting officers, which may reinforce accountability for attacks on police during the January 6 attack and deter future assaults on officers.
People convicted of assault (and those with legitimate civil claims arising from January 6): Bars settlements that could compensate civil-rights or medical claims for injuries sustained that day, denying potential redress or compensation.
Individuals and agencies alleging wrongful prosecution or misconduct: Prevents agencies from settling prosecution-related claims, which can block resolution of contested due-process claims and prolong litigation and uncertainty.
Federal agencies and taxpayers: Forbidding use of federal settlement funds may shift legal costs or administrative burden to agencies or to taxpayers through increased litigation, alternative remedies, or higher agency expenses.
Based on analysis of 2 sections of legislative text.
Prohibits use of federal funds, including the Judgment Fund, to settle claims or pay settlements to individuals convicted of assaulting law enforcement in connection with January 6, 2021.
Introduced January 6, 2026 by Sheldon Whitehouse · Last progress January 6, 2026
Bars the use of federal money to pay legal settlements to people convicted of assaulting law enforcement officers in connection with the January 6, 2021, events at or near the U.S. Capitol. The prohibition explicitly includes money from the federal Judgment Fund, preventing federal agencies from obligating or expending funds for settlements that arise from alleged harms during those events or from prosecutions related to them. The law defines who is covered (people convicted of specified assault offenses tied to January 6) and limits federal payment authority for settlements with those individuals. It does not create new crimes or authorize new spending; it restricts how existing federal funds may be used for specified settlements.