House bats down Mace effort to reveal sexual misconduct allegations against members of Congress 

The House on Wednesday batted down an effort from Rep. Nancy Mace (R-S.C.) to publicly release all reports on file with the House Ethics Committee on investigations into members of Congress regarding allegations of sexual harassment of staff or of a sexual relationship with a member of their staff. 

In a 357-65-1 vote, the chamber moved to refer the matter to the House Ethics Committee — a move that essentially kills the effort. Thirty-eight Republicans and 27 Democrats voted against referring the resolution to the panel. Members who voted with Mace included members who have faced scrutiny over their own conduct, such as Rep. Cory Mills (R-Fla.).

The resolution directs the Ethics Committee to make public, within 60 days after adoption, “all reports, including any conclusions, draft reports, recommendations, attachments, exhibits, and accompanying materials, with the personally identifiable information of victims or alleged victims redacted, related to the Committee’s investigations into violations” regarding alleged sexual harassment or sexual misconduct.

Mace, who has made her personal stories of sexual assault and dating violence central to her political identity, had filed and moved to force action on her resolution in wake of Rep. Tony Gonzales (R-Texas) facing increasing scrutiny over allegations that he had an affair with one of his congressional staffers who later died in September 2025 after setting herself on fire. 

“Congress has been sweeping this under the rug for far too long. Tony Gonzales may be the latest example, but he’s not the only one,” Mace said in a statement on Tuesday after she moved to force action on the resolution. “Staff deserve to come to work without being harassed by their bosses. Women deserve to be safe. And the American people deserve to know when their so-called ‘representative’ is abusing power instead of serving their constituents. No more hiding. No more excuses. It’s time to end the cover-up and drag the truth into the light.”

“Any Member who votes against this resolution is voting to protect the cover-up instead of the victims,” continued. “Nobody in Congress gets to play by a different set of rules. We are going to shine a light on every single case this committee has been sitting on.”

The House Ethics Committee came out against the resolution shortly before the vote, saying it “could chill victim cooperation and witness participation in ongoing and future investigations.”

“We believe House Resolution 1072 could have a negative impact on the Committee’s ability to investigate and eliminate sexual misconduct in the House. We encourage the House to refer the resolution to the Committee at this time,” the panel said.

Mace is one of a handful of Republicans and has called on Gonzales to resign or end his reelection campaign over the allegations. Gonzales has said the accusations are being used as political smears and that he will not resign. 

The House Ethics Committee on Wednesday morning announced it had opened an investigation into those allegations against Gonzales — one day after his Texas primary which determined he will head to a runoff in May. The Ethics panel is prohibited from taking certain actions against members 60 days before an election.

The House’s code of conduct prohibits members from engaging in a sexual relationship with a staff member in their office or on a committee on which they serve, and prohibits sexual harassment of staff. A rule against sexual relationships with staff was added in 2018, as the “Me Too” movement swept the country.

While some allegations of sexual misconduct that reach the Ethics Committee can be disclosed publicly, it does not have to publicly disclose all of them.

Copyright 2026 Nexstar Media Inc. All rights reserved. This material may not be published, broadcast, rewritten, or redistributed.

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