WASHINGTON (AP) — House Speaker Mike Johnson and the GOP leadership are calling for Republican Rep. Tony Gonzales of Texas to withdraw from his reelection race after he admitted having an affair with a former staff member who later died by suicide.
The Republican leadership announced its decision Thursday, a day after Gonzales acknowledged a relationship that has upturned the political world in his home state and in Washington, and after the House Ethics Committee announced an investigation into his conduct.
“We have encouraged him to address these very serious allegations directly with his constituents and his colleagues,” said Johnson, Majority Leader Steve Scalise, Whip Tom Emmer, and GOP Conference Chairwoman Lisa McClain in a statement.
“In the meantime, Leadership has asked Congressman Gonzales to withdraw from his race for reelection.”
Johnson, R-La., has been under enormous pressure from his own GOP lawmakers to take action, and several Republicans have already called for Gonzales to step aside. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., has introduced two resolutions to punish Gonzales. The first seeks to remove him from his assignments on the House Appropriations and Homeland Security committees, while the second seeks to censure him.
House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries of New York, meanwhile, said he would support expelling Gonzales from the House, a rare step that requires a two-thirds vote from the chamber.
GOP leaders notably did not call for Gonzales to resign from office as they struggle to maintain their slim majority in the House, which they hold by only a handful of seats.
Their move came after Gonzales, appearing on the “Joe Pags Show,” was asked whether he had a relationship with the aide, Regina Ann Santos-Aviles.
Santos-Aviles, 35, died after setting herself on fire in the backyard of her home in Uvalde, Texas. The Bexar County Medical Examiner’s Office later ruled her death a suicide.
“I made a mistake and I had a lapse in judgment, and there was a lack of faith, and I take full responsibility for those actions,” Gonzales said.
The congressman, now in his third term, has said he would not step down in response to the allegations, telling reporters recently that there will be opportunities for all the details and facts to come out.
Gonzales, a father of six, first won his seat in 2020 after retiring from a 20-year career in the Navy that included time in Iraq and Afghanistan. On Tuesday, he was forced into a May runoff against Brandon Herrera, a gun manufacturer and YouTube gun-rights influencer who narrowly lost to Gonzales in the 2024 primary.
In his interview broadcast Wednesday, Gonzales said he had not spoken to Santos-Aviles since June 2024 and she died in September 2025.
“I had absolutely nothing to do with her tragic passing, and in fact, I was shocked just as much as everyone else,” Gonzales said.
Gonzales went on to say he reconciled with his wife, Angel, and has asked God to forgive him. He also said he looked forward to the Ethics Committee investigation.
Johnson and GOP leadership urged that committee to “act expeditiously.”
Under House ethics rules, lawmakers may not engage in a sexual relationship with any employee of the House under their supervision.
Rep. Tony Gonzales, R-Texas, speaks during a news conference about school safety enhancements at North East Independent School District in front of the new Wilshire Safety Training Center Friday, Feb. 6, 2026. (Blaine Young/The San Antonio Express-News via AP)
Women’s hockey players have taken the next major step to strengthen their voice in shaping the Professional Women’s Hockey League’s future by affiliating with the AFL-CIO at a time when their sport is more popular than ever.
The Professional Women’s Hockey League Players Association on Thursday became the 65th union to join America’s largest labor federation, which represents nearly 15 million workers. And the PWHLPA became the 10th players association to join the AFL-CIO’s sports council, which already includes unions representing NFL, NHL, major league baseball, WNBA and women’s soccer players.
The affiliation agreement was approved during meetings in Washington, D.C., and the timing coincides with women’s hockey enjoying a surge in momentum following the U.S. women’s team winning its third Olympic gold medal at the Milan Cortina Games last month.
“This isn’t a moment, it is a movement,” PWHLPA executive director Malaika Underwood told The Associated Press.
“I think this affiliation really reflects something our members have believed from the beginning," she added. “When athletes stand together and they work collectively, they can shape the future of their sport. And they are doing just that. It is amazing to be part of.”
Gaining affiliation for her 184 PWHL players was an objective Underwood pushed upon taking over the PWHLPA job nearly a year ago to the day. Underwood previously was a partner at the consulting firm OneTeam, which represented the commercial interests of many of the player associations already affiliated with the AFL-CIO.
She considered the PWHLPA joining as the next logical step in the union’s ascendency.
The women’s hockey association was formed when the league was first launched in the summer of 2023, and hailed for being the first women’s pro sports league to have a CBA in place before playing its first game.
The privately controlled PWHL began as a six-team league and has enjoyed considerable growth since. The league expanded by two teams last summer, with plans already in place to add as many as four more next season.
The league has also seen a ground-swell of popularity since players returned from the Olympics, with the PWHL enjoying numerous sellouts. And that includes the league announcing on Thursday that it has already sold out two upcoming games scheduled at New York City’s Madison Square Garden and Boston’s TD Garden.
Underwood stressed that while the PWHLPA and league have maintained a respectful and collaborative approach in shaping the league’s future, the affiliation with the AFL-CIO strengthens the union’s position. The partnership provides the PWHLPA additional resources and strength in numbers when advocating for its players at the bargaining table.
“These players have platforms, and they have a voice and power. And when they use it to advance workers’ issues, we all win,” AFL-CIO President Liz Shuler told the AP. “So I think connecting those common struggles has been at the root of why we think this partnership is so important.”
Shuler said the AFL-CIO has played a role in ongoing talks between the Women’s National Basketball Players Association and the WNBA, after the union opted out of the previous CBA. And she noted the clout women’s soccer players had in eliminating the college draft in reaching its latest collective bargaining agreement with the NWSL.
“When women athletes come together as workers, they don’t only elevate their own leagues, they raise the bar across all of women’s sports,” Shuler said.
The PWHL controls and operates each of its franchises, and is financed by Los Angeles Dodgers owner Mark Walter.
The league’s current CBA runs through 2031, with Underwood saying the union is open to whatever PWHL executives choose — whether deciding to re-open the deal early or allowing it to run its course.
AP women’s hockey: https://apnews.com/hub/womens-hockey
Toronto Sceptres' goaltender Raygan Kirk (1) celebrates with her teammates after defeating the Vancouver Goldeneyes during the third period of a PWHL hockey game in Vancouver, on Sunday, March 1, 2026. (Ethan Cairns/The Canadian Press via AP)
United States' Hilary Knight (21) celebrates after scoring her side's opening goal during a women's ice hockey gold medal game between the United States and Canada at the 2026 Winter Olympics, in Milan, Italy, Thursday, Feb. 19, 2026. (AP Photo/Hassan Ammar)
Boston Fleet's Abby Newhook (19) celebrates her goal with teammates during the first period of an PWHL hockey game in Ottawa, Saturday, Feb. 28, 2026. (Spencer Colby/The Canadian Press via AP)
