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The freshman Republican lawmaker, who represents the 3rd District on Long Island’s North Shore and parts of Queens, was awarded seats on the Science, Space and Technology Committee and the Small Business Committee on Tuesday, Jan. 17, according to the outlet.
It came days after Santos said he would not resign despite calls from Republican leaders on Long Island to do so after he admitted to lying about his previous jobs, graduating from college, and even his Jewish heritage.
Texas Rep. Roger Williams, a Republican who chairs the Small Business Committee, told NBC News that while he does not agree with what Santos did, “he does represent about a million people in New York and a lot of Main Street issues.”
Fellow New York Congressman Ritchie Torres, a Democrat representing the 15th District in New York City, called the move "outrageous" in a post on Twitter.
"George Santos is going to be appointed to the Small Business Committee, which oversees one of the largest government programs in history: the Paycheck Protection Program (PPP)," Torres said.
"Can a fraud like George Santos be trusted to root out rampant fraud in the PPP program?"
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy had previously said that Santos should not be seated on any top committees like Ways and Means, Energy and Commerce or Financial Services.
McCarthy has refused to call on Santos to resign, but told CNN that he “always had a few questions about” Santos lying on his resume. He added that Santos should be investigated by the House Ethics Committee but it will ultimately be up to New York voters to decide his fate.
With his seat on the Science, Space and Technology Committee, Santos will have jurisdiction over several federal agencies, including NASA and National Science Foundation.
The committee also has authority over research and development at the Department of Energy, the Federal Aviation Administration (FAA), the Department of Transportation (DOT), and the National Weather Service.
Since being sworn into office on Saturday, Jan. 7, Santos has seen House Democrats file a complaint against him with the House Ethics Committee demanding an investigation into his financial disclosure reports.
A nonprofit group has also filed a formal complaint with the Federal Election Commission (FEC), accusing Santos of illegally using campaign funds for personal expenses and hiding the sources of his campaign donations.
Santos is also facing investigations by the Nassau County District Attorney’s Office and the US Attorney’s Office for the Eastern District of New York.
Click here to read the full report from NBC News.
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