Group of congressmen propose legislation to deny George Santos former member privileges

GettyImages-2066953050.jpg

A bipartisan group of congressmen want to prevent disgraced former congressman George Santos from having the same privileges that former members of Congress receive.

The House expelled Santos in December, with 105 Republicans joining in to kick out the Long Island freshman. The vote came after a House Ethics Committee report found “substantial evidence” that he had broken federal law.

But Santos is still eligible for many of the privileges afforded to former members of Congress. In March, hebriefly returned for President Joe Biden’s State of the Union, much to the chagrin of his former colleagues.

Republican Representative Nick LaLota of New York joined Democratic Representatives Josh Gottheimer of New Jersey, Ritchie Torres of New York and Santos’s successor Tom Suozzi of New York to put forward an amendment this week that would prevent that from happening again. Torres filed the report to the Ethics Committee that triggered an investigation into Santos in the first place.

At one point Santos attempted to challenge LaLota, a New York Republican — but then swiftly ended his candidacy.

Santos did not serve long enough to earn a pension. But as a former member, he is entitled to a permanent House ID card, access to the House floor, the House gym, the parking structure and the dining facilities on campus.

The amendment would be attached to the bill which sets aside money for the legislative branch, one of Congress’s 12 spending bills which to keep the government open.

The legislation would prohibit any money in the bill from “being used to provide former members of congress who have been expelled with the privileges generally afforded to former members including but not limited to access to the floor, parking facilities and athletic or wellness facilities, access to administrative services and dining facilities and membership in the U.S. Association of Former Members of Congress.”

The amendment has yet to be voted on but if so, would be included in the larger legislative package. The House must pass the spending bills before the government runs out of money at the end of the fiscal year on September 30, or representatives will have to pass a stopgap spending bill.

Santos recently announced that he is launching an OnlyFans.

Independent readers are independently-minded global citizens. They are not defined by traditional demographics or profiles, but by their attitudes. In today’s increasingly fragmented world, communities value real facts and frank opinions delivered first-hand from a non-biased news brand that they can trust. Armed with information and inspiration, Independent readers are empowered and equipped to take a stand for the things they believe in.