Gay congressman cosponsors bill to stop expelled members like George Santos from getting a pension

Gay Rep. Chris Pappas (D-NH) has co-sponsored a bill to ensure that future House legislators who are expelled, like newly-expelled former Rep. George Santos (R-NY), won’t receive congressional pensions afterward.

On Monday, Pappas co-sponsored the Congressional Pension Accountability Act, a bill introduced by Rep. Zach Nunn (R-IA). The bill states that expelled House members are neither “able to collect a taxpayer-funded pension” nor to receive any benefits from the House Members’ Thrift Savings Plan account, the federal government’s equivalent of a 401(k) plan, KCCI reported.

Related:

SNL & John Oliver took parting shots at George Santos after he got kicked out of the House

Bowen Yang performed a parody of “Candle in the Wind” as Santos, while Oliver argued that the out former congressman belongs on reality TV.

“Thankfully, George Santos won’t be eligible to receive a pension because he didn’t hit the minimum term of service, but this episode exposed a major flaw that needs to be fixed: those who are unfit to serve in Congress are unfit to receive a pension,” Nunn said in a news release about the bill.

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Pappas, almost all of the Houe Democrats, Nunn, and Iowa’s three other Republicans voted last Friday to expel Santos after a House Ethics Committee issued a November 16 report accusing Santos of illegally spending campaign funds on luxury goods, OnlyFans subscriptions, and cosmetic Botox treatments.

Santos, who is currently facing 23 federal charges of campaign finance fraud, called the report “a disgusting politicized smear that shows the depths of how low our federal government has sunk.” He has also denied the campaign finance fraud charges. However, his former treasurer recently pleaded guilty to related charges and testified that Santos knowingly filed false donor reports to make his campaign seem more attractive to other potential donors.

Nann’s bill isn’t the first act to be introduced because of Santos’ questionable dealings. In January, fellow gay New York Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-NY) introduced the SANTOS Act to punish politicians who lie about their resumes. Santos has admitted to fabricating large parts of his personal history during his election campaign.

The SANTOS in Torres’ bill stood for “Stop Another Non-Truthful Office Seeker.” The bill would’ve punished House members who lie about their background with a $100,000 fine and/or a one-year prison sentence, as well as losing the ability to receive information and briefings about national security. The bill received inadequate support to pass the Republican-led House.

Despite Santos’ expulsion from the House, he may still be able to receive other privileges, including the ability to walk onto the House floor, use lawmakers-only facilities (like the House gym), and even purchase and sell his own office furniture, Business Insider noted.