Proxy voting was suspended out of fear of the spread of the COVID virus, but new House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) has already ended the practice.
We will no longer tolerate the use of proxies. McCarthy tweeted early Thursday that “starting right now, Members of Congress have to show up to work if they want their vote to matter.”
Several media sites have pointed out that terminating proxy voting with such a thin majority might be problematic, but McCarthy’s proclamation marks the fulfillment of his vow to terminate the practice, which was implemented by his predecessor, former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA). If only a few Republicans are out sick or otherwise unable to attend a vote, the Democrats might win on a party-line vote.
Most Republicans seem relieved to see the practice cease, despite concerns about the GOP’s dwindling majority and the fact that Congressman Greg Steube (R-FL) is in the hospital recovering from a fall.
With its demise, proxy voting in the House is no longer a viable option. Rep. Scott Perry (R-PA) remarked, “Your representatives need to show up and do their job now just like you.”
Rep. Byron Donalds (R-FL) chimed in, saying, “Today, House Republicans will vote to END proxy voting once and for all.” Representatives in the House of Representatives are not employees of a tech business. Its members need to be physically present in the House of Representatives.
The House has voted to eliminate proxy voting. Representative Thomas Massie (R-KY) said it was rarely utilized for its intended aim of combating C. o. v. i. d. Many members, however, utilized this loophole to skip out on work-related travel in favor of attending political events, vacations, and other fund-raisers. The few people who have never used a proxy include me.
The Republican majority in the House passed a resolution to eliminate the use of proxies in legislative proceedings. I’ve never used a proxy before, and I voted with great pride to eliminate the practice. So says David Rouzer (R-NC) to the House. Members of Congress should attend work daily if it is required of the American people.
A study by the Arizona PBS station Cronkite News in May 2022 found that while some Republicans did employ proxy voting on occasion, Democrats were more likely to do so.
According to the research, more than 150 Republicans and more than 240 Democrats have each used proxy voting at least once. Democrats dominated the top 10 lists of proxy voters, with Florida Representative Al Lawson having the most (717) at the time the report was released. Since the practice was first implemented until the report’s release, 10% of all votes have been cast by proxy.