In a significant push for transparency, Republican Representatives Thomas Massie and Marjorie Taylor Greene have called on Congress to disclose the identities of lawmakers who have utilized taxpayer funds to settle workplace disputes, including sexual harassment claims.
The Office of Congressional Workplace Rights (OCWR), which oversees these settlements, has disbursed over $17 million to resolve nearly 300 cases related to harassment and discrimination from 1997 to 2017. However, the identities of the lawmakers involved remain undisclosed.
Support for this transparency movement has also come from former Representatives Mo Brooks and Jason Chaffetz, both advocating for personal accountability to deter future misconduct. Brooks emphasized that taxpayer money should never be used to bail out harassers, while Chaffetz asserted that transparency is a right owed to taxpayers.
The OCWR has noted that many cases it handles involve employees not directly affiliated with Congress, such as those from the Library of Congress or Capitol Police, and that settlements outside the OCWR's jurisdiction are not included in their reported figures.