George Santos Files Bill to Ban U.S. Aid to Anti-LGBTQ+ Countries

U.S. Rep. George Santos has introduced a bill to ban U.S. aid to countries with laws or policies that discriminate against or criminalize people because of their sexual orientation or certain other characteristics.

Santos, a gay Republican who has been caught in numerous lies and accused of crimes since being elected last fall, introduced House Resolution 1736, the Equality and Fiscal Accountability Protection Act of 2023, on March 23. It would require the State Department to assess a country’s human rights record before providing aid, and countries that violate human rights would be ineligible for U.S. aid until they address the issue.

“Discrimination against both women and the LGBTQ community is unacceptable,” Santos said in a press release. “My bill will send a clear message that the United States will not offer federal aid to countries found to be violating the rights of individuals based on sexual orientation. We as a nation have a responsibility to stand up for the human rights of all people, regardless of race, religion, or sexual orientation.”

The bill has been referred to the House Committee on Foreign Affairs. The full text is not yet available online. The Advocate has asked Santos’s staff if it includes gender identity and is awaiting a response.

Santos represents New York’s Third Congressional District, which encompasses portions of Long Island. He was elected to his first term last year, the first gay Republican to be out from his initial election; others came out while already in office. He has already announced his intent to seek a second term in 2024.

The bill's introduction comes even though Santos was caught lying about his academic and employment records, his religion, and many other things. He claimed that his grandparents fled the Holocaust, that he lost four employees in the 2016 Pulse nightclub mass shooting, and that his mother died as a result of the terrorist attacks of September 11, 2001 — all untrue.

He also has been accused of sexual harassment, ATM fraud, and check fraud. Prosecutors in Brazil recently agreed to a plea deal in a check fraud case stemming from a 2010 incident, CNN reports. He is under investigation by the House Ethics Committee.