Overview

• Section 70302 of the House-approved budget bill bars federal courts from using appropriated funds to enforce contempt citations if no security bond was posted when the injunction or restraining order was issued.
• The measure, part of the broader 'One Big, Beautiful Bill Act,' has been criticized as an effort to shield Trump administration officials from judicial accountability.
• Democrats in the Senate and legal experts are preparing procedural challenges, including invoking the Byrd rule, to strip the provision from the reconciliation package.
• The Trump administration has faced escalating judicial pushback for defying court orders, with federal judges issuing injunctions on policies related to deportations and funding freezes.
• Advocacy groups, including the Campaign Legal Center, warn that the provision undermines judicial authority and the separation of powers, urging the Senate to reject the bill.