George Santos faces effort to bar him from House floor

• Santos is one of six House members who have been expelled in U.S. history, and one of just two who are currently alive.

What they're saying: The GEORGE rule, which stands for Getting Expelled Officially Revokes Guaranteed Entry, would revoke the lifetime floor privileges afforded to former House members if they were expelled.

• Rep. Ritchie Torres (D-N.Y.), who introduced the proposal, told Axios: "George Santos disgraced Congress with his presence during the State of the Union."
• "Expelled members like him have no business being on the House floor," he added.
• The proposed rule change was first reported by Punchbowl News.

The other side: Asked about the proposal, Santos responded in a text to Axios simply, "lol."

The backdrop: The House voted 311-114 in December to expel Santos after an Ethics Committee report accused him of a "complex web of unlawful activity."

• His seat was won by Democrat Tom Suozzi last month, much to the dismay of Republicans who opposed his expulsion.

Reality check: The rule change is unlikely to get a vote in the GOP-controlled House.

• House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) opposed expelling Santos in the first place and allowed him on the floor during the speech on Thursday.

• Even Republicans who revile Santos expressed hesitance to take make a move. "I think former members who have been expelled should know well enough not to return," Rep. Marc Molinaro (R-N.Y.) told reporters.

Zoom in: Santos' plans to challenge Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.) have been met with guffaws from his former New York Republican colleagues.

• "It's tough to run a primary against a World Series winner," Rep. Anthony D'Esposito (R-N.Y.) quipped to LaLota on Friday morning – a reference to Santos' history of fabricating details of his resume.
• LaLota, upon being informed of Santos' planned challenge, reacted by laughing, according to a source who was on the floor at the time.