CPSA Letter on Sexual Misconduct and the Congressional Accountability Process

FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE

July 8, 2026

Media Contact:

Michael Suchecki, CPSA Communications Director
ProgressiveStaffers@gmail.com

WASHINGTON, D.C. — Yesterday, the Congressional Progressive Staff Association (CPSA) sent a letter to congressional leaders urging action to better protect and support staff experiencing sexual harassment and abuse. The letter was delivered to the offices of Chairman Bryan Steil, Ranking Member Joseph Morelle, Chairman Mitch McConnell, and Ranking Member Alex Padilla, and was shared with House and Senate leadership.

Currently, Congress is failing to protect staff from sexual abuse and misconduct. Recent revelations of brazen misconduct in Congress have exposed real gaps in the reporting and accountability processes. In response, CPSA met with offices across the Legislative Branch — including the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights, employer and employee counsels, and leaders of the Bipartisan Partnership to Combat Workplace Sexual Misconduct in Congress — and surveyed staff about their experiences seeking support.

Informed by that work, the letter lays out a concrete, pragmatic package of reforms to improve how misconduct is reported and handled on Capitol Hill. CPSA leadership released the following statement on the letter:

"Congressional staff should never have to choose between their safety and their careers in public service. Today, staffers seeking support are too often confronted by supervisors with experienced counsel, an investigation run by their own office, and a statute of limitations so short it forces an impossible choice: litigate before you are ready, or let it go. That is not accountability — it is a system that protects itself.

"These recommendations came directly from conversations with staff and from the offices doing this work every day. They are practical, bipartisan, and long overdue.

"With staff turnover at record highs, Congress cannot afford to keep losing dedicated public servants to a process that fails them. We urge the Committee on House Administration and the Senate Rules Committee to take up these reforms, and we stand ready to work with Members on both sides of the aisle to get it done."

You can find the full letter here.

You can also find coverage of the letter in the Washington Post here.

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CPSA was formed in 2021 to uplift the voices and experiences of progressive staff. We believe by educating people on the issues impacting staff and advocating for structural reform, we can inspire meaningful change for congressional employees across the country. With over 1,500 members, CPSA is the largest staff association on Capitol Hill and is growing every day.