H.R. 9222 explained · 119th Congress · Pending in Congress
Drain the Swamp Act
Cosponsors: 2 (2 D, 0 R) · per Congress.gov, 2026-10-08
Introduced: 2026-06-09
Latest action (2026-06-09): Referred to the Committee on the Judiciary, and in addition to the Committees on Oversight and Government Reform, House Administration, Ways and Means, and Rules, for a period to be subsequently determined by the Speaker, in each case for consideration of such provisions as fall within the jurisdiction of the committee concerned.
What H.R. 9222 does, in plain terms
The Congressional Research Service has not published a summary of H.R. 9222 yet. Its official title: “Drain the Swamp Act”.
Constitution Index
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Not graded yet
H.R. 9222 has not been graded yet. New measures with an official summary are graded daily under the published rubric.
The Framers
“Founders’ Verdict”
Confidence 1.00
Archived SI output (machine-generated)No editorial review recorded. This historical SI verdict was machine-generated by software and predates the review desk; check it against the official bill text.
Synthesis
The bill is constitutional only if modified to remove provisions that require constitutional amendments (such as term limits for Congress and the Supreme Court) or that impermissibly encroach on executive or judicial independence or violate fundamental rights.
The bill contains many provisions that are within the legislative power of Congress under Article I, Section 8, but several provisions raise constitutional concerns. Term limits for Congress require a constitutional amendment under Article I, Section 2 and Section 3, which fix the qualifications of Representatives and Senators. Term limits and ethics rules for the Supreme Court may be imposed by Congress under its power to regulate the appellate jurisdiction of the Supreme Court (Article III, Section 2) and to make exceptions, but altering the tenure of judges (Article III, Section 1) would re…
This bill contains a mixture of provisions. Some, such as banning stock trading for federal officers and suspending pay during shutdowns, may be permissible under Congress's power to regulate its own members (Article I, Section 5) and to set qualifications for office (Article I, Section 2, Clause 2; Section 3, Clause 3). However, several provisions exceed the enumerated powers of Congress and violate the separation of powers. Term limits for Congress would require a constitutional amendment, as the Constitution sets only age, citizenship, and residency qualifications (Article I, Sections 2 and…
The bill contains many provisions that must be examined separately under the Constitution. Some, such as banning stock trading for Members of Congress and suspending pay during shutdowns, may be permissible under the Necessary and Proper Clause (Article I, Section 8, Clause 18) as regulations of the legislative branch. However, establishing term limits for Congress would require a constitutional amendment, as the Constitution sets only age, citizenship, and residency qualifications (Article I, Section 2, Clause 2; Section 3, Clause 3). Similarly, term limits for the Supreme Court would conflic…
This bill presents numerous provisions, each requiring separate constitutional analysis. Several provisions align with Congress's powers under Article I and the Necessary and Proper Clause, such as banning stock trading for federal officials, imposing term limits for Congress, and suspending pay during shutdowns. However, provisions imposing term limits and ethics rules on the Supreme Court, reforming the pardon power, and revoking the statute of limitations for the President and Vice President raise serious separation-of-powers concerns under Marbury v. Madison and the vesting clauses of Arti…
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