A newly released batch of records is shedding light on how taxpayer money was used to resolve workplace complaints tied to members of Congress quietly.
According to the New York Post, Rep. Nancy Mace revealed that more than $338,000 in public funds was paid out between 2007 and 2017 through what critics have described as a “sexual harassment slush fund.”
The total is higher than previously reported figures for that period, though it represents only a fraction of the roughly $18 million spent on workplace-related settlements across Capitol Hill over a broader timeframe.
On Monday, Mace identified several former lawmakers whose offices were responsible for payments, including Blake Farenthold, Eric Massa, John Conyers, and Patrick Meehan.
All four had previously faced allegations of sexual misconduct.
According to the data, Farenthold’s office paid $84,000 in 2014, while Massa’s office paid $115,000 across multiple settlements in 2010.
Conyers’ office paid $50,000 in 2010 and an additional $27,111.75 severance payment in 2017. Meehan’s office paid $39,250 in 2017.
Each of those cases had already been publicly linked to misconduct allegations and appeared on a list released by the House Ethics Committee documenting investigations dating back decades.
The newly disclosed records also included two offices not previously associated with settlement payouts.
Former Rep. Rodney Alexander paid $15,000, while Rep. Carolyn McCarthy reached an $8,000 settlement. Alexander has said the payment was tied to the conduct of a staffer who was later fired. McCarthy died last year.
The information was obtained after the House Oversight Committee issued a subpoena earlier this year.
“One thousand pages,” Mace wrote on X, referencing a binder of documents. “All records prior to 2004 were destroyed – which tells you everything you need to know about how long this has been buried.”
“We will release the full 1,000 pages – once we confirm that personally identifiable information of victims and witnesses has been properly redacted,” she added. “Accountability is not a threat. It is a promise.”
The disclosure follows renewed scrutiny over how Congress has historically handled workplace complaints.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has also pushed for transparency, pointing to the broader $18 million figure tied to nearly 300 settlements between 1997 and 2019.
Those cases involved not only congressional offices but also agencies such as Capitol Police and the Library of Congress.
The complaints ranged from harassment and discrimination to retaliation and pay disputes.
Public debate over the issue intensified during the #MeToo movement, when lawmakers passed reforms in 2018 prohibiting the use of taxpayer funds to settle sexual harassment claims involving members of Congress.
More recently, additional allegations involving former lawmakers have kept attention on the issue, fueling calls for further accountability and transparency in how such cases are handled.
