WASHINGTON – When two of their colleagues faced mounting accusations of sexual assault and misconduct last week, the two most powerful leaders in the House of Representatives – both men – refused to demand their resignations.
Women in Congress weren't having it.
In a matter of days, rank-and-file female lawmakers banded together across party lines to oust Eric Swalwell andTony Gonzales. Rather than face being removed from office after embarrassing votes of their peers, the California Democrat and Texas Republicanresigned within an hour of each other.
It was a striking demonstration of bipartisan resolve on Capitol Hill. And on the heels of the overwhelming approval of theEpstein Files Transparency Act, it was just the latest example of women legislators teaming up, at odds with the men in charge of Congress, to force accountability for prominent figures accused of hurting women.
As the Swalwell allegations reached a fever pitch, two congresswomen in particular – Anna Paulina Luna, a Florida Republican, and Teresa Leger Fernández, a New Mexico Democrat – worked in close collaboration on resolutions to expel him and Gonzales.
Both women told USA TODAY their efforts to expose abuse by powerful men are just getting started.
"This should've happened a while ago," Luna said.
Swalwell had a notable and, until recently, relatively successful career in Congress.
After serving as a local city council member, he represented California's 15th congressional district, which included the southwest side of San Francisco, from 2013 to 2023. He represented the 14th district, including Alameda County, from 2023 to 2026. A longtime ally of former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, he was one of the key players during PresidentDonald Trump's second impeachment trial over the Jan. 6 insurrection. He built up enough political clout over the years to run for governor of California and with his viral moments and social media savvy had become a frontrunner in the primary.
All that professional progress seemingly exploded on a Friday afternoon, when multiple women accused him of sexual assault and misconduct in reports in theSan Francisco ChronicleandCNN. He has denied those allegations, calling them "absolutely false."
It didn't take long for Luna, the GOP congresswoman from Florida, to decide enough was enough. The next day, she vowed to introduce a resolution to expel Swalwell. (Expelling a member of Congress is exceedingly rare – the last lawmaker in the House of Representatives to be successfully expelled wasGeorge Santos, who fabricated much of his resume.)
Initially, Luna wanted to combine her Swalwell measure with another one to force out Tony Gonzales. The other congressman, a Republican who represented parts of San Antonio and El Paso,recently admitted to having an extramarital affairwith a staffer who died by self-immolation in September 2025 after her husband said the interlude broke up their marriage. Gonzales later said on a podcast that he'd "made a mistake" and "had a lapse in judgment."
After Luna learned procedural rules would prevent her from pairing the two resolutions, a Democrat offered to help. Leger Fernández, who is also the chair of the House Democratic Women's Caucus, said she was drawing up her own bill to oust Gonzales. They agreed to support one another.
"She was one of the few stepping up to the plate," Luna told USA TODAY.
Meanwhile, the two men in charge of leading the chamber were notably muted. With a mere two-vote margin in the House of Representatives, neither Republican House SpeakerMike Johnsonnor Democratic Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries seemed eager to give up a congressional seat.
