Boebert Takes Aim at Pension Payouts for Disgraced Former Congressmen

Lauren Boebert isn’t letting this one slide. The Colorado Republican announced Wednesday she’s working to strip former Representatives Eric Swalwell and Tony Gonzales of their taxpayer-funded pensions after both men resigned this week amid serious sexual misconduct allegations. And honestly? It’s about time someone said what millions of Americans are thinking.

Here’s the deal. Swalwell, the California Democrat who spent years lecturing the country about accountability and ethics, resigned Tuesday facing sexual assault allegations. Gonzales, a Texas Republican, stepped down over sexual harassment claims. Both men are gone from Congress now, but under current law, they’ll still collect tens of thousands of dollars annually from taxpayers for the rest of their lives. Let that sink in for a moment.

“Former Congressman Eric Swalwell abused his position of power in Congress to assault and victimize women,” Boebert said in a video posted to X. “Now as things stand, taxpayers will be sending him tens of thousands of dollars every year for the rest of his life. This is totally unacceptable.”

She’s right. It is totally unacceptable. Why should hardworking Americans foot the bill for someone who allegedly used their congressional office as a hunting ground? The pension system was designed to reward public service, not subsidize disgrace. There’s something fundamentally broken when we reward bad behavior with lifetime benefits while regular Americans struggle to save for their own retirement.

This isn’t just about Swalwell or Gonzales. It’s about a broader pattern of entitlement in Washington that treats elected office like a golden ticket to permanent prosperity, regardless of how you behave once you get there. The swamp protects its own, even when they’ve committed the kinds of acts that would get anyone else fired and prosecuted.

Boebert’s push comes at a critical moment. Voters are fed up with the double standards, tired of watching politicians play by different rules than everyone else. You get caught doing something terrible at your job? You lose your benefits. That’s how it works in the real world. Congress shouldn’t be exempt from basic accountability.

The mechanics of congressional pensions are complicated, sure. Members become eligible after five years of service, and the amount depends on years served and salary. But the principle here is simple. If you resign in disgrace, especially over allegations this serious, you shouldn’t get rewarded with a comfortable retirement funded by the very people you betrayed.

What makes this particularly galling is Swalwell’s history. This is the same guy who sat on the House Intelligence Committee while allegedly compromised by a Chinese spy. The same guy who pushed the Russia collusion narrative for years. And now sexual assault allegations force him out, but he still gets paid? The audacity is breathtaking.

Boebert faces an uphill battle. Changing pension rules requires legislative action, and Washington has never been eager to police itself. But public pressure works, and this issue cuts across party lines. Americans left and right can agree that taxpayers shouldn’t subsidize predators.

The question now is whether other members will join Boebert’s effort or whether they’ll protect the system that protects them. We’ll find out soon enough who actually believes in accountability and who just talks about it when convenient.

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