The nonpartisan Office of Congressional Conduct (OCC) has accused Texas Republican Rep. Lance Gooden of using taxpayer money for personal luxury and misreporting campaign spending, according to a report referred to the House Ethics Committee.
Investigators say Gooden sought more in reimbursements than any other member of the House, describing his spending as “extravagant expenditures.” The Washington Post reports that Gooden reimbursed himself nearly $184,000 across all of his 2025 travel expenses, often opting for costly travel arrangements, and is alleged to have “charged Congress for some personal or campaign trips.”
According to the Post, the OCC report flagged luxury hotel stays, business and first-class plane tickets, and extended car rentals that Gooden reimbursed, potentially in violation of House rules requiring travel and accommodations to be “reasonable” and “ordinary and necessary.”
The report also identified at least one instance last year in which Gooden appeared to reimburse his son’s travel costs, and at least two instances in which staff booked his flights through his wife’s credit card travel portal — an arrangement that could have let her collect rewards points.
The OCC’s findings have been referred to the House Ethics Committee, the body with authority to discipline members, which has an ongoing investigation into the matter.
Gooden Pushes Back
Gooden has flatly denied the allegations, calling the investigation a “bogus” witch hunt.
“There’s a reason the Senate doesn’t have an OCC — because of insane, bogus referrals like this one,” Gooden said in a statement. “The Ethics Committee will expose this witch hunt, and I’m calling on House Administration to launch an oversight investigation into the OCC’s target selection and record of failed inquiries.”
Gooden’s attorney responded to the OCC investigation back in June, saying the congressman “expressed his willingness to provide evidence and explanations regarding any specific allegation,” but argued that the OCC had demanded an “unreasonably burdensome” volume of documents and communications.
Part of a Broader Pattern
Gooden is the latest House member to face ethics allegations this year, with several colleagues already forced to resign amid similar scrutiny. Polling from this year’s midterms showed voters citing corruption in Washington as a significant reason for souring on the Republican Party, though Democratic lawmakers have faced comparable allegations of their own.
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