A Florida lawmaker will help head up a bipartisan effort to make Congress a workplace safe from sexual predators.
Speaker Mike Johnson and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries announced a bipartisan effort to combat workplace sexual misconduct. U.S. Rep. Kat Cammack, a Gainesville Republican, will serve as one of the co-Chairs.
Cammack, a founding leader of the Republican Women’s Caucus, will work with U.S. Rep. Teresa Leger Fernández, a New Mexico Democrat who chairs the Democratic Women’s Caucus.
“No woman — regardless of party, title, or position — should ever feel unsafe in her workplace. Period,” Cammack said.
“As Chair of the Republican Women’s Caucus, I am proud to be leading a bipartisan effort alongside the Democratic Women’s Caucus to take a hard look at the systems, reporting mechanisms, and workplace culture on Capitol Hill surrounding sexual harassment and assault. This effort has the support of Speaker Johnson and Leader Jeffries because this issue transcends politics. It’s about dignity, accountability, and ensuring that every person who comes to work in the People’s House is treated with respect and protected from abuse.”
The formation of the committee came after high-profile resignations by U.S. Reps. Tony Gonzales, a Texas Republican, and Eric Swalwell, a California Democrat. Both had admitted inappropriate relationships with staffers, and stand accused of sexual assault or harassment.
Cammack said it was critical staff felt safe coming forward with concerns about members of Congress.
“The reality is that coming forward is extraordinarily difficult. Fear of retaliation, damage to careers, public scrutiny, and institutional pressure often silence victims long before justice has a chance to speak,” she said.
“We cannot claim to support women while ignoring the very real barriers that prevent them from reporting misconduct in the first place. Yes, bad actors must be held accountable and removed when warranted. But if we are serious about fixing this problem, we also have to confront the environment that allowed the behavior to occur, persist, or be concealed. Accountability cannot begin and end with punishment after the fact. It must include prevention, transparency, education, and systems people can actually trust. Congress should set the standard — not lag behind it.”
The House Ethics Committee recently released a history of sexual misconduct investigations, totaling 28 cases over 50 years.
Notably, Cammack has been one of few Republicans to condemn fellow Florida U.S. Rep. Cory Mills, a New Smyrna Beach Republican on that list, though he has argued it’s inappropriate to include him in a list with Gonzales and Swalwell.
Leger Fernández said it’s important lawmakers work across party lines to address the issue of sexual misconduct.
“It is sickening that Congressmen sexually harassed and assaulted women staff instead of treating them with the respect they deserved,” Leger Fernández said.
“We know these women are not alone — women across America have been sexually assaulted and harassed by men at work who think they will never face any consequences. We will continue to stand with survivors, break the silence, and fight for a future free of sexual misconduct — in Congress and everywhere across this country.”