WASHINGTON — The House of Representatives voted overwhelmingly Tuesday to require the public release of records identifying members of Congress who used taxpayer funds to settle sexual misconduct claims, marking a rare bipartisan push for greater transparency on congressional misconduct.

The measure, introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, passed by a vote of 420-0, with only Rep. Nancy Mace voting “present.”

Under the resolution, the House Ethics Committee and the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights would be required to provide records within 60 days identifying lawmakers who benefited from taxpayer-funded settlements and the amounts paid.

🚨 BREAKING: The House has PASSED @RepThomasMassie’s resolution to FORCE the release of names of Congressmen who used the Congressional slush fund to pay out for sexuaI misconduct settlements, 420-0

These are TAXPAYER DOLLARS being used to PAY OFF accusers.

And it’s all about… pic.twitter.com/RFJD8DgIii

— Nick Sortor (@nicksortor) June 30, 2026

“We need to know what’s been going on here in the House of Representatives in order to convince the people and assure the people that we are conducting the people’s business with the utmost integrity,” Massie said during floor debate.

The vote follows renewed scrutiny of congressional misconduct procedures after several high-profile allegations involving members of Congress earlier this year.

Congress historically faced criticism for handling sexual harassment and misconduct complaints behind closed doors, particularly when settlements were funded by taxpayers without public disclosure of the lawmakers involved.

In 2018, Congress ended the practice of using taxpayer money to pay settlements on behalf of members accused of misconduct. Since then, lawmakers found liable for such conduct have generally been required to bear financial responsibility themselves.

According to materials previously obtained through congressional investigations, the federal government paid more than $300,000 in settlements related to misconduct allegations involving House members or congressional offices before those reforms were enacted.

The House just passed my resolution to provide greater transparency into how taxpayer dollars were spent to resolve congressional sexual misconduct claims.

The vote was 420-0. Americans deserve to know precisely how their money is spent. pic.twitter.com/9RF24K7FDr

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) June 30, 2026

Supporters of the resolution argued that taxpayers deserve a complete accounting of how public funds were used and whether lawmakers were shielded from public scrutiny. The measure also comes after the House Oversight Committee sought records from the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights concerning past settlements.

Ethics Committee Chairman Michael Guest said he believed much of the information had already been shared through prior inquiries but supported the resolution nonetheless. “Anything we can do to make sure that that information is readily available, we want to make that happen,” Guest said.

Mace, who has frequently advocated for victims of sexual assault and harassment, questioned the practical necessity of the vote. In comments posted to social media, she argued that previous subpoenas had already compelled the release of relevant records and suggested the vote may have been largely symbolic.

If implemented, the resolution could provide the public with one of the most detailed looks yet at how Congress historically handled sexual misconduct allegations and the financial costs associated with those cases.

If there was ever a vote designed to make politicians sprint toward the “yes” button, this was it.

Who wants to be recorded voting against transparency on taxpayer-funded sexual misconduct settlements?

Nobody.

Hence the 420-0 vote.

For years, Americans heard rumors about secret settlements, confidential agreements, and taxpayer dollars being used to quietly resolve allegations involving elected officials. Every time one of those stories surfaced, public trust took another hit.

Transparency should never have required a congressional epiphany. If taxpayer money was used, taxpayers have a legitimate interest in knowing where it went.

That doesn’t mean every allegation is automatically true. Due process still matters. Facts still matter. But secrecy surrounding public funds is a different issue entirely.

Transparency is essential to the operation of government, and Americans have a right to know if their taxpayer dollars settled congressional sexual misconduct claims.

I introduced my resolution to expose the slush fund yesterday. It passed the House by a vote of 420-0. pic.twitter.com/mwWGw83xWE

— Thomas Massie (@RepThomasMassie) July 1, 2026

DAILY BS SOURCES:

• House backs Massie’s push to release taxpayer-funded sexual harassment settlement records — Fox News
• US House passes resolution to disclose sexual misconduct settlements paid by taxpayers — Anadolu Agency
• House votes to disclose members’ taxpayer-funded sexual misconduct settlements — Washington Examiner
• House quietly paid out more than $300K in taxpayer money to settle sexual harassment cases, docs show — New York Post
• Congress publishes list of 28 House investigations for sexual misconduct in wake of major scandals — New York Post
• Rep. Nancy Mace secures files from taxpayer-funded sexual harassment slush fund — Rep. Nancy Mace’s Office
• House squashes effort to force release of Ethics Committee files — Roll Call
• Congressman Langworthy votes to release names of House members who used sexual harassment fund — Congressman Nick Langworthy