On November 11 2025, Jamie Raskin, Ranking Member of the House Judiciary Committee, exposed a startling new amendment tucked into the GOP’s large-scale spending package.
The so-called "Million-Dollar Jackpot Provision" would award individual U.S. Senators up to one million dollars each, paid by taxpayers, if their phone records were subpoenaed and a non-disclosure order was issued during a criminal investigation.
More alarmingly, the provision is retroactive to 2022, concerns a narrow group of eight Republican senators under investigation for alleged roles in the attempt to overturn the 2020 presidential election, and would not extend any protections or pay-outs to ordinary Americans.
"If these Republican Senators have a complaint, it should be directed to President Trump and his accomplices… But these United States Senators are pathetically casting themselves as victims and propose to give themselves a million-dollar jackpot payday at taxpayer expense."
- Jamie Raskin
💰 How the Pay-Out Works
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Step 1: If the Department of Justice lawfully subpoenas a Senator’s phone bill without giving the Senator advance notice, the Senator could receive $500,000.
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Step 2: If the DOJ then seeks a court-ordered non-disclosure agreement (NDO) against the Senator with no public disclosure, the Senator could receive an additional $500,000.
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Total potential payout: $1 million per Senator.
The trigger events are standard tools used in grand jury investigations-phone-bill subpoenas and non-disclosure orders-yet the amendment treats them as grounds for compensation only for Senators.
🕵️ Why It Matters
It raises stark issues of fairness: Ordinary citizens who face subpoenas and gag orders get no equivalent redress, but a tiny group of lawmakers stands to receive a wind-fall.
It spotlights self-dealing: The provision appears designed to protect a specific group of Senators under scrutiny for their involvement in the 2020 election subversion effort.
It tests public trust: At a time when many Americans are being cut from programs or taxed more heavily, this amendment directs millions of dollars toward elected officials.
🧑⚖️ Who Are the Eight Senators?
The provision targets eight Republican Senators whose phone records were reportedly subpoenaed as part of Special Counsel Jack Smith’s investigation into the 2020 election subversion.
According to public reports, those Senators are:
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Lindsey Graham (R-SC)
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Bill Hagerty (R-TN)
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Josh Hawley (R-MO)
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Dan Sullivan (R-AK)
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Tommy Tuberville (R-AL)
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Ron Johnson (R-WI)
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Cynthia Lummis (R-WY)
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Marsha Blackburn (R-TN)
🔮 What Happens Next
The House is expected to take up a standalone vote soon to strip the provision from the spending bill.
Regardless of outcome, the amendment has already triggered bipartisan outrage and renewed scrutiny over how power, privilege, and oversight operate in Washington.
For now, the public watches.
This episode could redefine how accountability is treated when elected officials write the rules about themselves.
