Once again, the politicians at the federal level had a chance to do the right thing; once again they had a chance to show true leadership; once again they had a chance to not be hypocrites; once again, they failed miserably. I don't know why I am surprised. When they are given the opportunity, they never fail to disappoint, yet I still have hope.
Nancy Mace introduced a bill that would have revealed the names of members of Congress who have settled sexual harassment claims against them using taxpayer money. A slush fund was set up almost 30 years ago to pay these claims using taxpayer dollars. Since then, just over $17 million has been paid on their behalf. In 2018 a bill was passed that was supposed to hold the members personally responsible for paying these claims, but it appears that claims are being paid out of the slush fund anyway. Why would they need to keep the fund going if members of Congress had to pay the claims themselves?
The vote to table the bill was 365 in favor and 65 opposed. The bill will now be sent to the ethics committee for consideration and possible alteration. Several members that actually spoke about the issue said they didn't want the victims' names to be revealed. The bill would have protected their names. Only members would have been identified. There is also a claim that some of the payments were 'nuisance' payments for claims that were not justified or corroborated. Let the member defend themselves.
We really need to move the Convention of States forward. We need term limits and the only way to get that is by enacting a Constitutional amendment. We must make our voices heard. We have to change the status quo.
