Rep. Nancy Mace is preparing to force one of the most uncomfortable votes the House of Representatives has faced in years — a public reckoning over sexual misconduct allegations involving members of Congress.
The South Carolina Republican told NBC News she plans to file a privileged resolution next week that would require the House Ethics Committee to release all sexual misconduct and harassment reports involving lawmakers and their staff. Once filed, House Republican leadership would have two legislative days to bring it to the floor — either for a direct vote, to table it, or to send it to committee.
Mace introduced the resolution in the wake of explosive reporting that Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, sent sexually explicit text messages to a former aide with whom he allegedly had an affair. The aide later died by suicide. An attorney for her husband confirmed the authenticity of the messages to NBC News.
Gonzales has denied having an affair and suggested he is the victim of blackmail and a political attack as he faces a competitive March 3 primary. He has been defiant in the face of calls to resign.
“I will not resign,” Gonzales told reporters. When pressed about the text messages, he declined to address them directly, saying, “What you’ve seen is not all the facts and there’ll be ample time for all of that.”
Mace has been blunt in her response.
“When are we going to start policing our own?” she asked. “We haven’t done that yet because both sides protect each other from embarrassment.”
The Office of Congressional Conduct, an independent nonpartisan body, has completed its investigation into Gonzales and is expected to send its findings to the House Ethics Committee next week. It remains unclear whether the Ethics Committee has opened its own probe.
Mace is not alone in her frustration. Several Republican women have joined her in calling for accountability.
Rep. Lauren Boebert, R-Colo., called Gonzales a “disgusting pig” and urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to act. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., backed Mace’s effort and criticized what she described as a congressional “slush fund” that allows members to use taxpayer dollars to settle harassment and workplace discrimination claims under the Congressional Accountability Act.
“Congressional ethics is a joke,” Luna wrote on X. “There is even a slush fund they use to pay people off with your tax dollars.”
Mace has said she would be “fine” with expelling Gonzales but insists the issue is broader than one lawmaker.
“My problem is that we don’t do it for everybody,” she said. “This is a good old boys club, and women that come to work on the Hill need to be respected.”
Her push comes amid simmering anger among Republican women who feel leadership has failed to act decisively in cases involving male colleagues. Last year, Mace attempted to force a vote to censure Rep. Cory Mills, R-Fla., who was accused of threatening to release sexually explicit images of a former girlfriend. A judge granted a restraining order against Mills at the time. Mills denied wrongdoing, and Mace’s censure effort ultimately failed.
Eight Republicans voted with her then — six of them women.
Speaker Johnson has called the Gonzales allegations “serious” but said it is up to Gonzales to address them with his constituents. With a razor-thin majority, leadership faces a political minefield: allowing a vote could divide Republicans; blocking one could deepen accusations of hypocrisy.
Mace, who has spoken publicly about surviving sexual assault and previously helped push for the release of Jeffrey Epstein-related files, says the credibility of Congress is at stake.
“We sweep everything under the rug,” she said. “I understand due process and all of that, but at some point, people have to be accountable.”
