A Democratic bill with 14 Democratic cosponsors · See all 15 cosponsors
Last activity — Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
In committee
Introduced and handed to a committee in the chamber it started in.
The committee holds it, and most bills are never heard from again. A hearing or a committee vote would be news; silence is the usual outcome, and it kills the bill without anyone voting against it.
Its path through Congress
- Introduced
- In Committee
What this bill would do
The Protect American Values Act of 2026 aims to prevent the use of Federal funds for a specific Department of Homeland Security rule. This rule is titled "Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility." The bill prohibits any Federal funds or fees from being used to implement, administer, or enforce this rule. It also extends this restriction to any guidance or sub-regulatory policy that clarifies the rule.
Yes· 3 of 13
- Scored +8
Would immigrants be better off under this?
The bill directly prevents a rule that would impede essential access for immigrants and their families.
- Scored +7
Would children be better off under this?
The bill explicitly aims to prevent increased poverty for children caused by the public charge rule.
- Scored +7
Would households on low incomes be better off under this?
The bill protects access to essential food, medical care, and housing for low-income families.
The opposite
- Scored -5
Does this give the federal government more power?
The bill restricts the use of federal funds to implement a specific DHS rule, effectively limiting federal administrative power.
Who it would affect, and how
Potential Positive Impacts for People
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Protecting Access to Essentials: By preventing the implementation of the "Public Charge Ground of Inadmissibility" rule, the bill seeks to prevent the impediment of access to essential food, medical care, and housing for many families (Section 2, Subsection 4).
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Maintaining Community Stability: The bill aims to ensure that families, including immigrant and mixed-status families, can maintain their health, strength, and stability to continue contributing to the Nation's social and economic life (Section 2, Subsection 3).
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Preventing Economic and Health Burdens: The bill seeks to avoid the damages the rule could cause to State and local economies, as well as the burdens it would place on health and service providers (Section 2, Subsection 5).
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Protecting Children: The bill acts to prevent the increase in poverty for certain families and children, including U.S. Citizen children, which the rule's own preamble acknowledges could happen (Section 2, Subsection 5).
Potential Negative Impacts for People
- No specific negative impacts are listed within the text.
Groups and Interests Ranking
Every group the model scored this bill for, from -10 to +10. Tap or hover a score for the reason it gave.
- Demographic And Interest Groups
- Would immigrants be better off under this? — The bill directly prevents a rule that would impede essential access for immigrants and their families. Would children be better off under this? — The bill explicitly aims to prevent increased poverty for children caused by the public charge rule. Would Hispanic Americans be better off under this? — The bill protects immigrants and their families from policies that could impact their access to essential services. Would households on low incomes be better off under this? — The bill protects access to essential food, medical care, and housing for low-income families. Would business owners be better off under this? — The bill prevents negative economic impacts of the public charge rule on businesses.
- Social Issues And Justice
- Is this likely to lift people out of poverty? — The bill seeks to prevent the increased poverty of families and children caused by the public charge rule. Does this make housing cost less? — The bill aims to maintain access to essential housing for immigrant families. Does this make it easier for immigrants already here to become citizens? — The bill protects the stability of immigrants adjusting to lawful permanent resident status. Is this likely to reduce homelessness? — Preventing the public charge rule helps maintain stability and access to housing for vulnerable families.
- Healthcare
- Does this make health care easier to get in general? — The bill prevents policies that would impede access to essential medical care for immigrant families. Does this lower what a hospital stay costs? — By blocking the public charge rule, the bill aims to reduce the burden of uncompensated care on health providers.
- Economy And Finance
- Is this likely to grow the economy? — The bill aims to prevent economic damage to state and local economies caused by the public charge rule. Does this make it easier to run a small business? — The bill seeks to avoid the negative economic downstream effects of the public charge rule on small businesses.
- Governance And Ideology
- Does this give the federal government more power? — The bill restricts the use of federal funds to implement a specific DHS rule, effectively limiting federal administrative power.
- 8/6/2026
- Read twice and referred to the Committee on the Judiciary.
- 15 Cosponsors added.
- Introduced in Senate
One bill Congress.gov lists as related to this one — companions in the other chamber, earlier versions, and bills this one absorbed or was folded into.
Michael BennetDemocrat · Colorado
Richard BlumenthalDemocrat · Connecticut
Cory BookerDemocrat · New Jersey
Christopher CoonsDemocrat · Delaware
Richard DurbinDemocrat · Illinois
Tammy DuckworthDemocrat · Illinois
Timothy KaineDemocrat · Virginia
Edward MarkeyDemocrat · Massachusetts
Patty MurrayDemocrat · Washington
Jeff MerkleyDemocrat · Oregon
Alex PadillaDemocrat · California
Bernie SandersIndependent · Vermont
Adam SchiffDemocrat · California
Ron WydenDemocrat · Oregon
Elizabeth WarrenDemocrat · Massachusetts