Proxy voting in Congress – One America News Network

January 19, 2023 Roy Frances US 0

House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., who is hoping to become the next speaker of the House in the new Republican majority, walks to the chamber as lawmakers debate a massive $1.7 trillion spending bill that finances federal agencies and provides aid to Ukraine, at the Capitol in Washington, Friday, Dec. 23, 2022. (AP Photo/J. Scott Applewhite)

OAN Roy Francis
UPDATED 7:05 AM PT – Thursday, January 19, 2023

Speaker of the House Kevin McCarthy announced that proxy voting will no longer be allowed for members of Congress on Thursday.

No more proxy voting. Effective immediately, Members of Congress have to show up to work if they want their vote to count.

— Kevin McCarthy (@SpeakerMcCarthy) January 19, 2023

The announcement by McCarthy has been backed by Republicans who say that proxy voting should never have been allowed in the first place.

Good riddance to proxy voting!

Americans show up for work every single day and so should their representatives.

I never voted by proxy, nor did I vote on another Member’s behalf, and I’m glad proxy voting is coming to an end!

— Ashley Hinson (@RepAshleyHinson) January 10, 2023

The decision by Republicans, who now hold the majority in Congress, will force members to be present if they wish their votes to count.

Republicans say that they will stick to a strict voting schedule and will no longer leave the voting times open for hours as Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) had previously done.

Today, House Republicans will vote to END proxy voting once and for all.

The House of Representatives isn’t a tech company.

Its members should work IN PERSON in the People’s House!

— Congressman Byron Donalds (@RepDonaldsPress) January 9, 2023

Top House Republicans, including GOP Conference Vice Chair Mike Johnson (R-La.), said that attendance will be a challenge but that this was the right decision.

“Of course, attendance will again be crucially important in such a closely divided body,” Johnson said. “But ultimately this was the right decision for the institution and the country.”

Holding a very slim majority in the House, Republicans say that this decision is crucial and will make attendance critical. This decision will force Democrats to “get in the consistent habit of showing up in person after many of them proxy voted the majority of time over the last two years.”

This decision is critical for Republicans who wish to shape policy as they currently only hold a four-seat majority in the House, which is their narrowest since the early 1960s.

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