We shouldn’t pay to cover up bad behavior in Congress

We are disappointed in allegations of sexual misconduct by members of the U.S. Congress, and equally disappointed to learn that in many cases the settlements reached between those in public office and their accusers have been funded by U.S. taxpayers. We have learned that the Office of Compliance, which most have never heard of, has handed out $17 million in taxpayer funds to settle lawsuits against federal employees since 1997. Equally amazing is that despite the fact that our money is being spent to settle claims against our public officials is that there is currently no record of who was accused of bad behavior, or how much of our money was spent on each case. One Wisconsin Congressman hopes to change that. Congressman Glenn Grothman has sent a letter asking that the Office of Compliance disclose the members of Congress who have settled sexual assault claims using taxpayer dollars. Further, he asks that the total amount of sexual harassment related settlements paid through the Office of Compliance be made public, and that all future sexual harassment claims be made public. Congress should go one step further, and demand that no tax money be used to settle sexual harassment claims against public officials. Congress wastes a lot of our tax money, but should not be able to use our money to cover up the bad behavior of those we elect to office.