"Big Beautiful" Trojan Horse

Two buried provisions would gut court enforcement when the Trump Administration breaks the law and block states from fighting AI lies — for a decade.

Don’t let the name fool you — President Trump’s “Big Beautiful Bill” is hiding some seriously ugly threats to American democracy.

On its face, this thousand-plus-page budget bill that recently passed the House might sound like business as usual in Washington. Headlines focused on the usual suspects: tax cuts, health care, immigration.

But buried deep inside are provisions that could gut the courts’ ability to enforce the law, erase past legal rulings, and block states from protecting voters from AI-generated disinformation.

That’s not budgeting. That’s authoritarian power-building.

The Hidden Clause That Could Unleash Lawless Leadership

Let’s start with the courtroom.

Right now, if a government official — anyone from a cabinet secretary to the President — defies a court order, they can be held in contempt of court. That’s a basic check in our system. If you break the law, there are consequences.

But one of the most dangerous provisions in the “Big Beautiful Bill” would eliminate that check. It would prevent courts from holding federal officials in contempt when they ignore lawful orders.

“The new rule would be so broad that it could allow any government actor to escape being held accountable for violating court rulings.”

Campaign Legal Center

Worse: this rule wouldn’t just apply to future cases — it would be retroactive. That means thousands of existing court orders could become meaningless overnight.

That’s not hyperbole. Our strategic partner Campaign Legal Center (CLC), one of the nation’s leading legal watchdogs, says it plainly: “This outrageous provision would severely limit courts’ ability to hold government officials in contempt when they violate a judge’s orders.”

And why now?

Well, during Trump’s first term, courts ruled against his administration more than 170 times. That includes rulings that Campaign Legal Center helped secure — like blocking his illegal attempt to alter election rules. This provision could be a legal escape hatch, allowing Trump to sidestep rulings he doesn’t like.

Let’s be clear: this is not about one party or one person. It’s about whether the law applies to everyone—or just to the powerless.

A Decade of AI Disinformation, Sponsored by Congress

The second ticking time bomb in the bill deals with artificial intelligence — and what it’s allowed to do in our elections.

More than 20 states — red, blue, and purple — have passed laws to stop the use of AI to trick voters. These laws ban deepfakes, require disclosure of AI-generated ads, and create penalties for using AI to suppress turnout or mislead the public.

But this bill would block all of that.

For 10 years.

If it becomes law, no state or local government in America would be allowed to enforce AI regulations in elections (not to mention any other law a state might pass trying to address the pitfalls of AI). That’s a full decade of wide-open space for AI-generated lies, fake candidate endorsements, and deepfake robocalls designed to scare or confuse voters.

Just imagine the next few election cycles under this rule. Politicians could hide behind AI lies. Foreign adversaries could flood social media with fake videos. And voters would have no idea what’s real.

That’s not a functional democracy. That’s chaos by design.

So what can we do about it?

If you’ve read this far, you know what’s at stake. Two provisions — Section 70302 (contempt of court) and Section 43201(c) (AI regulation moratorium) — need to be removed from the Senate bill. Now it’s time to act.

Here’s a simple script you can use to call your Senators:

Hi, my name is [Your Name], and I’m a constituent from [Your City/State]. I’m calling to urge Senator [Name] to oppose the budget bill unless Section 70302 and Section 43201(c) are removed. These provisions are unacceptable, and I’m asking the Senator to vote no if they remain in the final version.

☎️ Look up your Senators' phone numbers here:
https://www.senate.gov/senators/senators-contact.htm

Let’s flood their phone lines and make sure they know we’re paying attention.

📅 EVENT: “Does the Rule of Law Still Matter?”

We want to invite you to an important conversation hosted by our strategic partner Campaign Legal Center to discuss the status of the rule of law in our country. They’ll break down the dangers of unchecked power, what the law can still do to fight back, and how we can all support efforts to protect the Constitution.

🗓 Tuesday, June 3 on Zoom
🕚 11:00 AM ET / 8:00 AM PT
🎙 Featuring Trevor Potter, Bruce Spiva, Kedric Payne & Catie Kelley

Can’t join live? RSVP anyway and they’ll send you the recording.

Finally, it’s not enough to call out corruption after the damage is done. We need to stop it before it’s baked into law.

The “Big Beautiful Bill” is a Trojan horse for authoritarianism. Let’s not wait until the gates are breached.

Join the fight. Share this post. Show up for democracy.

Because no one — not even a president — should be above the law.