Rep. Kat Cammack, R-Fla., is pressing House leadership to require mandatory background checks for congressional staff, warning that foreign governments are exploiting security weaknesses on Capitol Hill and faulting congressional leaders for failing to act.

Cammack has introduced a resolution that would require House staffers to undergo background checks and disclose any foreign citizenship and any payments, contracts or agreements involving foreign governments during the previous three years. She argued the measure is needed to strengthen security and increase transparency for employees who handle sensitive information.

"I can tell you a target-rich environment would be an investigation into all of the trips that staff take abroad at the expense of foreign governments," Cammack told the Washington Examiner, adding that there is "absolutely" foreign interference on Capitol Hill.

She said the problem spans both major political parties.

"This is a bipartisan, bicameral problem, by the way," Cammack said. "It's not exclusive to one side or the other."

Despite broad agreement that the proposal makes sense, Cammack said House leadership has been slow to move it forward.

"I have presented this to leadership multiple times and while everyone agrees that it's a good idea, there seems to be zero urgency," she said.

Under current House rules, congressional staffers can access sensitive constituent records, including Social Security numbers and veterans' files, without the background investigations routinely required of executive branch employees.

According to Cammack, many lawmakers have been surprised to discover that their own staff members are not automatically vetted by the U.S. Capitol Police or the House sergeant-at-arms.

"People who I spoke to on both sides of the aisle were stunned to find out that their staff was not automatically checked by Capitol Police or sergeant-at-arms for the background check. They thought it was done already," she said.

Cammack said the resolution does not target any particular country but instead establishes "a universal transparency standard."

She acknowledged one provision has generated resistance from some lawmakers.

"The part that received a tremendous amount of pushback was the disclosure of dual citizenship and any ties to organizations that have been funded by foreign governments," she said.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., also urged House leaders to act, saying on X that "some seriously disturbing declassified files" will soon be released involving "a Former Member Of Congress placing interns in other offices that happen to be agents of foreign governments."

"Representative Kat Cammack has legislation that would require background checks on staff and it should be brought to the floor immediately," Luna wrote. "Also, this is a massive security breach."

The resolution would require only a simple majority vote in the House if GOP leadership schedules it for floor consideration.