House backs Massie's push to release taxpayer-funded sexual harassment settlement records
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NEWYou can now listen to Fox News articles!The House of Representatives overwhelmingly backed a measure Tuesday that would force the disclosure of lawmakers who used taxpayer funds to settle sexual harassment claims.
The resolution, introduced by Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., would require the House Ethics Committee to "preserve and publicly release" records related to monetary settlements involving sexual misconduct.
Massie, a frequent thorn in House GOP leadership's side, forced a vote on the resolution, arguing that gaps in reporting requirements enacted in 2018 may still allow taxpayer-funded settlements to remain hidden.
The Kentucky lawmaker said he discovered there were no reported cases involving any members repaying sexual harassment settlements since then.
Rep. Thomas Massie forced a vote on the transparency-focused measure on Tuesday. (Nathan Posner/Anadolu)
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His resolution would specifically direct the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights to publicly report sexual misconduct cases involving lawmakers and their staff that resulted in taxpayer-funded settlements, along with the total amount of taxpayer money spent.
"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 and treating offices and employees of this institution with the respect they serve," Massie said.
The final vote was 420-0-1. No lawmaker spoke against the resolution during debate on the House floor.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., was the lone lawmaker to vote "present," arguing Tuesday's vote was "nothing more than political theater" after she released information earlier this year showing the federal government paid out more than $330,000 to settle sexual harassment claims since the early 2000s.
"Now Congress wants to vote on doing what we already did," the South Carolina Republican wrote on social media.
Rep. Nancy Mace, R-S.C., was the lone lawmaker to vote "present," calling Massie's resolution "political theater." (Andrew Harnik/Getty Images)
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Mace, who helped orchestrate a transparency push targeting lawmakers’ behavior toward women amid several high-profile resignations, subpoenaed the Congressional Office of Workplace Rights through her position on the House Oversight Committee for a bevy of settlement documents involving at least six lawmakers or their offices.
Former Rep. Blake Farenthold, R-Texas, who resigned in disgrace in 2018 amid a House ethics probe into sexual misconduct allegations, was among the lawmakers named in the documents.
Former Rep. Patrick Meehan, R-Pa., who similarly resigned in 2018 amid reports he used taxpayer funds to settle a sexual harassment suit filed by a former staffer, was also listed.
Ten lawmakers did not vote, as the chamber was scheduled to begin the July 4 recess immediately following the vote amid a conservative blockade of the House floor in protest of the stalled SAVE America Act.
The resolution’s passage comes after Cynthia West, a former Massie girlfriend, accused the Kentucky lawmaker of emotional abuse in May. West also alleged that Massie attempted to pay her $5,000 to drop a wrongful termination lawsuit against the office of Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., who fired her shortly after taking a position in the office.
Rep. Victoria Spartz, R-Ind., and Rep. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., stand at the U.S. Capitol in Washington, D.C., on July 3, 2025. (Graeme Sloan/Bloomberg)
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The House in March rejected a resolution offered by Mace to require the House Ethics Committee to release all documents compiled by the panel involving probes into members of Congress related to sexual misconduct.
GOP Rep. Tom Kean Jr. explains his 'mysterious' 4-month absence from Congress
OAN Staff Lillian Mann
6:30 PM – Tuesday, June 30, 2026
In an emotional speech on the House floor, New Jersey GOP Representative Tom Kean Jr. revealed the reason behind his four-month long medical leave from Congress, telling his fellow lawmakers that he was in the hospital for depression.
Kean (R-N.J.) disclosed on Tuesday that he was recently diagnosed with depression following a hospitalization for undisclosed health concerns. He added that recovering from the mental illness has taken longer than expected.
“I am a private person by nature … talking about myself has never come naturally. But I believe that I owe an explanation to the people of New Jersey’s 7th District, to my colleagues in this chamber and to the American people for my absence,” he began from the podium Tuesday morning.
“I was given the diagnosis of depression. It is physical, it is emotional and, until you’ve experienced it yourself, it is difficult to fully understand how powerful this illness can be.”
The 57-year-old has missed more than 140 votes during his recovery, amounting to a 100% absence rate, according to the website GovTrack.
“I began to understand not only my diagnosis, but how long depression had been affecting my life,” he continued. “When people hear the word depression, many people think it simply means feeling sad. But depression is so much more than that.”
“When I first informed the public that I was dealing with a medical issue, I was still trying to understand what was happening myself,” he said of the secrecy of his absence.
Despite feeling hesitant when his doctors recommended he stayed at the hospital, he shared that he was ultimately grateful for the decision.
“When I said I hope to return in a matter of weeks, I believed it. Those were the best estimates that the doctor could provide. But as the over 48 million of my fellow Americans being treated for this illness have come to discover, there is no timeline for healing. There is no timeline for recovery. Only the work of getting better one day at a time,” he said.
“Today I am grateful that I listened to my doctors … I am grateful that I accepted help. Because today I stand before you healthier, stronger and excited to return to the work that I love.”
Although Kean’s condition was not made public until Tuesday, the details were apparently known by Capitol Hill colleagues –including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) — who said earlier this month, “I do know what his health issue is, but he’s asked me not to disclose that, and I’m going to honor that.”
Johnson also emphasized at the time that Kean’s absence is “not a scandalous thing at all,” telling reporters that “people deal with health issues. Maybe that’s a news flash for you, but even members of Congress get sick as well.”
During his absence, Kean secured the Republican nomination for a third term representing New Jersey’s 7th Congressional District after running unopposed in the primary. He will face Rebecca Bennett (D-N.J.) in November.
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