Capitol sex scandals spark push to ban House lawmakers from sleeping with staffers
South Carolina Republican Rep. Nancy Mace is preparing to introduce a pair of bills on Thursday aimed at redefining what is and is not acceptable behavior between members of Congress and the people who work for them.
One measure, a House resolution, would prohibit members of the House of Representatives from engaging in sexual relationships with any employee of the chamber. The other bill would bar lawmakers from living with House employees, with an exception for married couples who share a home.
Mace framed the legislation as a long-overdue correction to a culture she says has gone unchecked for too long. "If you're a member of Congress, your priorities should be serving your constituents and this country, not fooling around with staff," she said.
While the proposed sex ban would apply to all members regardless of gender, Mace has been explicit about who she believes the problem centers on. "Congress is not your personal dating pool," she said. "If you can't do your job without hitting on staff, find another job and leave the women you work with alone."
On the cohabitation bill, Mace was equally direct. "No staffer should ever be coming home at night to the person who signs their paycheck. It's inappropriate, it's a conflict of interest, and it should have been banned decades ago."
The push comes amid a string of scandals that have put workplace relationships on Capitol Hill under fresh scrutiny. The most recent example involves Arizona Democratic Sen. Ruben Gallego, who the New York Post reported had sexual relationships with two House staffers. Gallego's allies have pushed back, noting that he was unmarried at the time and the aides did not work for him, and that the relationships therefore did not appear to violate any existing rules.
Other cases have had more severe consequences. Former California Democratic Rep. Eric Swalwell left Congress after sexual misconduct and rape allegations derailed his gubernatorial campaign. Swalwell has denied the allegations but acknowledged unspecified personal mistakes and apologized to his wife. Texas Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales resigned his seat after an affair with a staff member who later died by suicide drew sustained scrutiny. And North Carolina Republican Rep. Chuck Edwards is currently under a House Ethics Committee investigation over sexual harassment allegations, which he has denied, according to Axios.
Mace's bills arrive as a broader congressional conversation about workplace conduct is gaining momentum. Florida Republican Rep. Kat Cammack, Colorado Republican Rep. Jeff Crank, Michigan Republican Rep. Lisa McClain, and House Speaker Mike Johnson of Louisiana have all voiced support for imposing clearer limits on the relationships members can have with their staff. Cammack and Crank have also introduced their own legislation on the issue.
It remains to be seen whether any of these efforts can clear both chambers and reach the president's desk, but the growing roster of cosponsors and endorsers suggests that Capitol Hill's once-settled norms around personal conduct are now in active, public dispute.
