Congressional Staffers Don’t Need Background Checks; Bill Would Change That

Kat Cammack says the measure faces resistance in the House

(José Niño, Headline USA) Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, (R-Fla.), set off a wave of concern this week when she posted on X on Saturday that classified records due out soon will implicate a former lawmaker in a foreign infiltration scheme. 

“Some seriously disturbing declassified files will be coming out in the coming weeks about a Former Member Of Congress placing interns in other offices that happen to be agents of foreign governments,” Luna wrote. “Representative Kat Cammack has legislation that would require background checks on staff and it should be brought to the floor immediately. Also, this is a massive security breach.”

Hours later, Rep. Kat Cammack (R-Fla.) amplified the warning and spotlighted a gap in Capitol security. 

“You read that right. There are NO background checks for Congressional staff. H.Res 500 would require background checks and full disclosure of dual citizenship and employment of foreign nations for staff. No surprise to anyone that we are being fought every step of the way. You can help us make sure all Capitol Hill staff get background checks by calling your Rep!” she wrote.

Cammack introduced H.Res. 500 in June 2025. The measure would re-write House rules so the U.S. Capitol Police run criminal background checks on every House employee within 30 days of hiring, and it would require staffers holding foreign citizenship to disclose that status publicly through the Clerk of the House. As Cammack’s office emphasizes, the House currently mandates no such vetting and no foreign disclosure whatsoever, leaving each office to set its own standards.

The resolution has attracted bipartisan co-sponsors, among them representatives Nicholas Begich (R-Alaska) and Greg Steube (R-Fla.) and Democrat Yvette Clarke (D-N.Y.), yet it has languished in the House Rules Committee since its introduction with no floor vote scheduled. Cammack, whose office publicly demanded an immediate vote, contends that opponents are stalling on purpose, a frustration she captured when she said the effort has been “fought every step of the way.”

José Niño is the deputy editor of Headline USA. Follow him at x.com/JoseAlNino 

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