Olszewski Announces Bacon’s Support for Presidential Pardon Reform
February 16, 2026
Move comes days after Trump pardons former NFL players
(Washington, DC) – In response to a new round of high-profile pardons issued by President Donald Trump, Maryland Congressman Johnny Olszewski today announced bipartisan support for his proposed constitutional amendment to establish new checks on presidential pardon authority. Congressman Don Bacon (R-NE) has signed on as the measure’s first Republican cosponsor.
The announcement follows the Trump Administration’s decision earlier this week to pardon five former NFL players whose charges ranged from perjury to drug trafficking. The pardons are part of what Olszewski describes as a disturbing pattern of abuses of the presidential pardon power benefiting the wealthy and well-connected.
“The Constitution does not give any president the authority to place themselves above the law,” Congressman Olszewski said. “I’m proud to have Congressman Bacon join this effort, because safeguarding democracy and upholding justice should never be a partisan issue. When the pardon power is abused to protect criminals and political allies, Congress has a responsibility to act.”
“This amendment creates a narrow, commonsense check to ensure the pardon power is used fairly and responsibly — regardless of who occupies the White House.”
“Presidential pardons are an important constitutional authority, but like all powers held by the executive branch, these authorities benefit from the appropriate checks and balances the Constitution envisioned. Across multiple administrations, we’ve seen legitimate questions raised about how this authority has been used at the same time, the ability of Congress to provide oversight has weakened,” said Congressman Bacon. “Frankly, it is clear to me the pardon authority has been abused. I’m pleased to cosponsor Rep. Olszewski’s Pardon Integrity Act, a constitutional amendment that establishes a narrow, commonsense guardrail that preserves the pardon power while ensuring Congress can fulfill its constitutional role to provide accountability and uphold the rule of law.”
The proposed amendment, known as the Pardon Integrity Act, would grant Congress the authority to review and reject presidential pardons and commutations. Under the proposal, 20 members of the House and five members of the Senate could initiate a review process. Congress would then have 60 days to nullify a pardon with a two-thirds supermajority vote in both chambers. The amendment would also prohibit the issuance of subsequent pardons for the same offense.
With bipartisan support, Olszewski said the amendment reflects a growing recognition that constitutional guardrails are necessary to restore public trust in government.
President Trump pardoned 1,600 individuals in 2025 alone, including former Honduran President Juan Orlando Hernández, who was serving a 45-year sentence for his role in one of the world’s largest and most violent drug-trafficking conspiracies.
The pardons also come with an often overlooked side effect: more than $1.3 billion in cancelled fines and restitution owed to crime victims and, in many cases, U.S. taxpayers. Instead, President Trump is allowing fraudsters, tax evaders, and drug traffickers to keep their illicit proceeds.