Oversight Project Thanks House for Moves to End Senate’s Insulting Self-Dealing
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE
January 22, 2026
Washington, D.C. – On December 17th, 2025, we launched a campaign aimed at protecting and prioritizing the victims of government weaponization and called on the Senators to repeal the provision that allows Senators, and only Senators, whose phone records were subpoenaed by Special Counsel Jack Smith’s Operation Arctic Frost to collect $500,000 per subpoenaed phone record.
The Oversight Project applauds and endorses the effort of the House for voting to kill this policy that could potentially net Senators tens of millions of dollars in a middle-of-the-night backroom deal.
Oversight Project President Mike Howell gave this statement:
“We’re glad the House of Representatives is staying on this and attaching language to kill this self-dealing provision to the latest bloated funding bill. At least there is some good in there! What the Senate did was just a terrible idea and they know it. It’s okay to recognize a screw up and fix up, in fact I think Americans would like to see a little more of that. The Oversight Project will keep on top of this fight for victims of weaponization to be helped fully and first, as opposed to politicians getting richer. We’ve been busy lately pushing on many fronts in this fight, but this one is a key battle that we have to win.”