WASHINGTON, D.C. (LifeSiteNews) — Controversial freshman Republican Congressman George Santos of New York introduced legislation Friday to bar foreign aid to any country with policies deemed “discriminatory” to women, homosexuals, or transgender citizens, potentially winning him some goodwill from some of the left-wing voices that have used him as a cudgel against the GOP since his election.
Under Santos’s Equality and Fiscal Accountability Protection Act, any country to be found in violation of the “human rights” of female or LGBT citizens would be deemed ineligible for foreign aid, according to a press release from his office.
“Discrimination against both women and the LGBTQ community is unacceptable,” said Santos, who claims to be openly homosexual. “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 comes amid ongoing controversy over the Biden administration’s condemnations of the conservative LGBT policies of various foreign nations, which critics have warned uses U.S. influence to pressure other cultures into adopting secular, left-wing values. The Trump administration had a similar approach to the issue.
Elected in November 2022 to New York’s Third Congressional District, Santos has been a lightning rod for controversy due to a string of revelations that he misrepresented various aspects of his personal background, family history, academic record, and professional credentials, and allegations of involvement in various fraudulent activities such as a dog adoption charity and a credit card skimming operation.
“He’s told some whoppers,” former President Donald Trump said of Santos in January. “Reminds me of Biden, actually, the closest thing I can think is Biden, because he’s told some whoppers,” referencing the current president’s own history of making false claims about his own past.
Democrats, having narrowly lost control of the U.S. House of Representatives last fall, briefly saw in Santos an opportunity close the gap in the chamber, and highlighted his various scandals as evidence he should be expelled from Congress, calls which House GOP leadership ultimately ignored.