Congress Didn’t Just Fail Survivors. It Protected Power.

From the DARCC Education Department

A recent report from the National Women’s Defense League, Abuse of Power: Revealing Sexual Harassment & Misconduct in Congress (Davidson Tribbs & Higginbotham, 2026), challenges the idea that sexual misconduct in Congress consists of isolated scandals or “bad individuals.” The report found that since 2006, at least 49 members of Congress have publicly faced accusations of sexual harassment, abuse, or misconduct, totaling at least 137 accusations. The report also makes clear that these numbers likely represent only a fraction of actual harm because most survivors never formally report. 

What initially pulled me into the report was the recent allegations involving former Congressman Eric Swalwell. Over the past several weeks, multiple women publicly accused Swalwell of sexual misconduct, leading to investigations, the collapse of his gubernatorial campaign, and ultimately his resignation from Congress (Nelson, 2026). What stood out to me was not just the allegations themselves, but how quickly the story became absorbed into the normal rhythm of political scandal. Public outrage spikes. Statements are released. Investigations are announced. Then the cycle moves on while the larger systems enabling these patterns remain largely untouched. That realization made me read this report differently.  

What is perhaps most disturbing is not simply that allegations continue surfacing. It is what happens after they surface. Some lawmakers quietly resign. Some remain in office. Some run again. Some are reelected. Some receive pardons. Some settlements involving misconduct allegations were reportedly paid using taxpayer money. Even amid ongoing investigations, political careers often continue moving forward. The pattern becomes impossible to ignore. 

This is not simply a story about individual misconduct. It is a story about systems that repeatedly absorb allegations without fundamentally changing. It is a story about institutions prioritizing preservation over accountability. The report found that 77% of workplace harassment allegations involved legislative staffers. That statistic matters because staffers often occupy some of the most vulnerable positions in political spaces. Their careers depend on proximity to power. Future jobs, recommendations, and access to political circles can all hinge on maintaining relationships with the very people accused of harm. The imbalance is built into the structure itself. 

When survivors come forward in environments like these, they are not simply reporting a person. They are often reporting someone with institutional protection, public influence, legal resources, and political allies. Repeatedly, the institution survives more easily than survivors do. 

The report explicitly warns that Congress’ failure to address sexual harassment is “not just a workplace issue. It’s a governance crisis.” Because Congress is not just another workplace. It is the body responsible for shaping workplace protections, funding prevention efforts, and influencing responses to gender-based violence nationally. 

What message does it send when the institution responsible for creating protections cannot consistently uphold them internally? What message does it send when accusations are minimized as distractions, reframed as partisan attacks, or absorbed into normal political theater? What message does it send when people accused of misconduct continue rising politically while survivors are left carrying the personal and professional consequences of disclosure? 

The report also notes that these abuses of power create barriers for women and minorities entering and remaining in public service. Unsafe environments do not just harm individuals. They shape who feels able to participate in leadership at all. That is not accidental fallout. That is structural exclusion. 

Too often, public conversations focus on whether a particular accusation can be definitively proven in the court of public opinion. Prevention work asks a broader question: what kinds of systems allow harm to repeat across decades and political parties? If the same patterns continue happening under the same power structures, then the issue is no longer isolated misconduct. The issue is the culture protecting it. 

Survivors are frequently told that reporting creates accountability. Yet nationally, we continue watching powerful institutions prioritize optics and political survival over meaningful reform. The result is a public increasingly desensitized to abuse allegations while survivors are asked to carry enormous personal risk to speak at all. Congress should not simply react to scandal. It should model accountability. Instead, this report paints a devastating picture of an institution that has repeatedly failed to protect the people working within it while continuing to protect power itself. 

Sources: 

Davidson Tribbs, Emma, and Sarah Jane Higginbotham. Abuse of Power: Revealing Sexual Harassment & Misconduct in Congress. National Women’s Defense League, 2026.  

Nelson, Steven. “Rep. Jimmy Gomez, Member of Eric Swalwell’s ‘Cool Kids Clique,’ Accused of Kissing Much Younger Staffer.” New York Post, April 18, 2026. 

Reuters. “Manhattan District Attorney Investigates Sexual Assault Claims Against Swalwell.” Reuters, April 11, 2026. 

Murray, Conor. “Eric Swalwell Under Investigation After Sexual Assault Allegations.” Forbes, April 11, 2026. 

The Guardian. “New Accuser Says Eric Swalwell Sexually Assaulted Her in 2018.” April 14, 2026.