On Thursday morning, House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) reiterated his position on proxy voting, asserting lawmakers “must show up to work” rather than delegate voting to others.
According to Breitbart, Speaker McCarthy reaffirmed his position on proxy voting, which was established after he became Speaker and the House passed the rules package. With a 220–213 vote, the rules package was adopted without a provision allowing proxy voting in the House, putting an end to the major battle that had been raging since it was adopted.
On FOX News, podcast host Monica Crawley applauded the end of proxy voting.
Republicans were mostly in favor of changing the proxy voting rule three years ago, on May 15, 2020, when the Democratic majority instituted the rule due to the Chinese Coronavirus pandemic.
A proxy vote allowed members of Congress to cast a vote on behalf of an absent member of the House.
In the beginning, the rule was intended to allow members to conduct business without being present at Capitol Hill.
However, it was quickly abused by lawmakers. Some lawmakers cited that they could not vote in person due to the “ongoing” pandemic, despite attending in-person campaign events, going on trips with the president, and even vacationing in Europe.
House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-CA) is absolutely right to implement this strict new rule requiring lawmakers to show up to work on Capitol Hill. It’s awesome that he has recognized the abuses of the proxy voting system and taken action to preserve taxpayer money by ensuring those who receive a salary from the public have to work for it. This great rule will ensure that everyone from congress is doing their part to make sure their constituents are given fair and equitable representation, rather than delegate voting duties to others who are not accountable to the people they serve.
