California Democratic Rep. Robert Garcia on Tuesday introduced a measure to expel Rep. George Santos, R-N.Y., from Congress.

Garcia, who led a previous effort to try and oust Santos earlier this year, introduced the measure as a so-called "privileged resolution," meaning it must be considered within two days of being introduced.

"The time has finally come to remove George Santos from Congress," Garcia said in a statement. "If we're going to restore faith in government, we must start with restoring integrity in the U.S. House of Representatives."

"It is essential for the American people to have Representatives they can trust and who don't build their career on deceit and falsehoods," the California Democrat added, referencing the numerous falsehoods that Santos espoused about his education and job experience. "We have once again forced an expulsion vote on the House floor because enough is enough."

Santos told Spectrum News on Tuesday he did not plan to resign on Thursday, when he is scheduled to hold a press conference. He said he believes there will be enough votes to remove him and that once he is removed, he will lose his office and privileges immediately.

On Tuesday evening, Santos said that the expulsion efforts set "a very dangerous precedent for the future," adding: "If somebody doesn't like you, they get to throw you out of your job."

Santos also noted Tuesday night that he will not step down from his role ahead of the looming expulsion vote: "To set the record straight ... I will not be resigning."

Garcia’s first attempt at expelling Santos, which he introduced alongside New York Democratic Rep. Dan Goldman in May, was scuttled when House Republicans voted along party lines to refer the matter to the House Ethics panel.

Garcia is the second lawmaker to announce a measure to oust the embattled New York congressman following the release of a damning House Ethics Committee report earlier this month which found “substantial evidence” of wrongdoing — including alleging that he deceived donors and stole from his campaign.

The report said that the panel amassed “overwhelming evidence” of Santos’ misconduct, which they referred to the Justice Department.

One day after that report was released, House Ethics chairman Michael Guest, R-Miss., filed his own motion to boot Santos, saying that the evidence turned up in the probe was “more than sufficient to warrant punishment and the most appropriate punishment, is expulsion.”

Late Tuesday evening, Rep. Anthony D'Esposito, one of Santos' fellow freshman New York GOP lawmakers, made a motion to force a vote on Rep. Guest's expulsion resolution. 

This would be the third such effort to expel Santos since he took office earlier this year after flipping the New York district representing parts of Queens and Long Island’s Nassau County. The seat had been held by Democrats since 2013 until Santos’ victory in last year’s midterms, and is one of 18 districts represented by a Republican that President Joe Biden won in 2020.

Ealier Tuesday, Garcia pledged that Santos "will face another vote this week," adding: "We’re forcing a vote.”

“I think that Republicans should be on record,” Garcia added. “I think you’re gonna have a united Democratic caucus ready to expel George Santos. We’re seeing more and more Republicans jump on board, and I think he's gonna get expelled this week."

A second expulsion measure, introduced by a group of Santos’ fellow freshman New York congressmen, fell far short of the two-thirds support needed to oust him from Congress earlier this month. But dozens of lawmakers in both parties who did not initially support Santos' expulsion have told Spectrum News in recent weeks that they will do so this time around, signaling that his time in Congress could soon come to an end.

When asked by Spectrum News if he spoke with Rep. Guest about his resolution, Garcia said that the Mississippi Republican is "welcome to introduce whatever he wants to."

"We're still going to introduce ours, we're going to get it on the calendar, gonna make sure we force a vote," Garcia said.

Speaking to reporters outside of his Capitol office on Tuesday after the measure was introduced, a defiant Santos declared: "I don't care."

"I was sent here by the people of the Third District of New York," he said. "I represent them, not the political class in Washington, D.C. If they want to send me home, if they think this was a fair process, if they think this is how it should be done and if they're confident that this is a constitutional way of doing this, God bless their hearts."

When asked if he was asking his fellow Republicans to support him, he replied: "No, I've never done it. This is the third time we've gone through this. I didn't do it the first time. I didn't do it second time. Not going to do it the third time. It's not a good use of my time."

He instead railed against inflation and border issues, saying "that's what we should be putting our energy on, not on censuring one another, expelling one another, witch hunts against the political class, nobody cares!"

"[Congress] is littered in political theater, and the American people are the ones paying the price," he declared, before entering his office and closing the door. 

Meanwhile, a balloon bearing the likeness of Santos with a tie reading "Full of Lies" could be seen outside the U.S. Capitol on Tuesday, a demonstration from progressive group MoveOn Political Action calling for his expulsion from Congress.

If Santos is removed, under New York State law, Gov. Kathy Hochul, a Democrat, would have to call for a special election within 10 days of a vacancy, which would be held 70-80 days later. Several candidates from both parties have already lined up to replace Santos, including former Rep. Tom Suozzi, a Democrat who vacated the seat representing parts of Long Island and Queens to challenge Hochul for governor in 2022.

In an interview with CNN before the Thanksgiving holiday, Gov. Hochul said she would be "very happy" to call for a special election to replace Santos.

"He has to go away," Hochul said. "This MAGA clown car has come to a screeching halt instead of shifting into high gear. He and his colleagues and his enablers need to be held accountable. So I’m very happy to have him resign, stop the embarrassment that has befallen the people of his district and the State of New York, just go away."

"I'll be very happy to call that election," she continued. 

The embattled New York congressman is facing 23 felony charges, including wire fraud, money laundering and theft of public funds. Prosecutors say he stole money from campaign donors and identities from family members, misled federal election officials and fabricated a $500,000 loan, among other alleged schemes. 

In addition to his legal woes, Santos has been accused by journalists, acquaintances, business partners, fellow Republicans and former friends of lying for years about his career on Wall Street, academic credentials, athletic achievements, Hollywood roles, racial heritage, being the descendant of Holocaust survivors, losing his mother to the 9/11 terrorist attack and losing employees in the 2016 Orlando mass shooting at a gay nightclub that left 49 people dead.

In an hourslong audio chat on X, formerly Twitter, last week, Santos acknowledged that he will likely be expelled from Congress this week, but pledged to wear his expulsion as a "badge of honor."

The last lawmaker to be expelled from Congress was former Ohio congressman James Traficant, who was ousted in 2002 month after his conviction on 10 felony charges, including tax evasion, racketeering and bribery. The vote to expel the nine-term Ohio Democratic lawmaker was 420-1.