House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., announced Tuesday he would support expanding the House’s prohibition on sexual relationships between lawmakers and congressional staff members.
When asked at a press conference whether he would back prohibiting members from having relationships with any Capitol Hill staff—including those not under their direct supervision—Johnson replied, “Yeah.”
“I can’t believe it would be acceptable in any situation,” Johnson stated. “You have a role where you have members of Congress and their subordinates and staff members. I think it’s inappropriate, as it would be in any workplace, and most companies have that.”
“We should, at a bare minimum in Congress, have rules and traditions that are adhered to in corporate America,” Johnson added.
Johnson’s proposed change would extend the existing prohibition beyond direct subordinates to include all congressional staff members and require revisions to the House Code of Official Conduct. The current rule, adopted in 2018, prohibits sexual relationships between lawmakers and staff under their direct supervision or committee staff, with an exception for lawmakers married to staffers. It does not cover staff in other offices.
House Republican Conference Chair Lisa McClain, R-Mich., called for strict rules on the issue Saturday. McClain stated, “Even if a relationship is consensual, there is an inherent power imbalance that can undermine trust and create an appearance of impropriety. The goal should be protecting staff and maintaining confidence in the institution.”
Johnson also addressed recent allegations against Reps. Cory Mills, R-Fla., and Max Miller, R-Ohio, who face domestic violence accusations but have denied wrongdoing. “The key word there is allegation,” Johnson said. “We have a process here in the House, the Ethics Committee works on those things. So, I’m not in the business of commenting on investigations as they’re in process, and we’ll see how that shakes out. That’s how this always works. And by the way, it’s done for Rs and Ds, both sides of the aisle.”
