Amid calls to resign, George Santos awarded 2 House committee seats


Rep. George Santos (R-N.Y.), the freshman lawmaker who has faced calls to resign since it was revealed he lied about his education and work history, received two committee assignments on Tuesday.
He will be seated on the House Small Business and Science, Space, and Technology Committees. Rep. Roger Williams (R-Texas), chair of the Small Business Committee, told NBC News that he doesn't "agree with what [Santos] said, did, and all. I don't agree with any of that, OK? It's wrong. But at the same time, he's on the committee, we're gonna have rules to follow. He does represent about a million people in New York and a lot of main street issues."
Santos made multiple false claims while on the campaign trail, including saying he graduated from Baruch College, worked at Citigroup and Goldman Sachs, and was Jewish. After The New York Times reported on his fibs, more people came forward to share the lies Santos told them, including that he was a volleyball star at Baruch College, started a nonprofit animal rescue that saved 2,400 dogs and 280 cats, and owned 13 properties. The Nassau County Republican Party, as well as some GOP lawmakers, have urged Santos to resign, and federal and local prosecutors are investigating Santos' financial dealings and whether his lies were part of any crimes.
The Week
Escape your echo chamber. Get the facts behind the news, plus analysis from multiple perspectives.

Sign up for The Week's Free Newsletters
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
From our morning news briefing to a weekly Good News Newsletter, get the best of The Week delivered directly to your inbox.
The GOP Steering Committee makes committee assignments, and House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.), who leads the group, said the decision to give Santos two seats was made with others, not on his own. The Republicans have a narrow majority, and Santos voted for McCarthy during all 15 speaker votes.
A free daily email with the biggest news stories of the day – and the best features from TheWeek.com
Catherine Garcia has worked as a senior writer at The Week since 2014. Her writing and reporting have appeared in Entertainment Weekly, The New York Times, Wirecutter, NBC News and "The Book of Jezebel," among others. She's a graduate of the University of Redlands and the Columbia University Graduate School of Journalism.
-
Epstein files: Maxwell courts a pardon
Feature A new prison transcript shows Ghislaine Maxwell praising Trump as 'a gentleman' while denying his involvement in the Epstein scandal
-
Pentagon readies military deployment in Chicago
Feature The Pentagon is preparing to deploy thousands of Illinois National Guard members to Chicago after Trump threatened to send troops into other major cities
-
Trump: Taking over the private sector?
Feature Donald Trump has secured a 10% stake in Intel using funds from the Biden-era CHIPS Act
-
Trump crypto token launch earns family billions
Speed Read The World Liberty Financial token is now the Trump family's 'most valuable asset'
-
RFK Jr. names new CDC head as staff revolt
Speed Read Kennedy installed his deputy, Jim O'Neill, as acting CDC director
-
DC prosecutors lose bid to indict sandwich thrower
Speed Read Prosecutors sought to charge Sean Dunn with assaulting a federal officer
-
White House fires new CDC head amid agency exodus
Speed Read CDC Director Susan Monarez was ousted after butting heads with HHS Secretary Robert F. Kennedy Jr. over vaccines
-
DOGE put Social Security data at risk, official says
Speed Read DOGE workers made the personal information of hundreds of millions of Americans vulnerable to identity theft
-
Court rejects Trump suit against Maryland US judges
Speed Read Judge Thomas Cullen, a Trump appointee, said the executive branch had no authority to sue the judges
-
Trump expands National Guard role in policing
Speed Read The president wants the Guard to take on a larger role in domestic law enforcement
-
Trump says he's firing Federal Reserve Governor Lisa Cook
Speed Read The move is likely part of Trump's push to get the central bank to cut interest rates