This is going to upset many of the Democrats who are still voting by proxy while off doing other things other than the job they ran for
(Time) Some members have capitalized on their ability to vote by proxy to hit the campaign trail. Democrat Karen Bass voted by proxy this year while engaged in her successful bid for Los Angeles Mayor. Three Democrats who used proxy voting frequently in 2022—Reps. Charlie Crist of Florida, Tom Suozzi of New York, and Kai Kahele of Hawaii—did so while running for governor of their respective states. The Honolulu Civil Beat reported earlier this year that proxy voting allowed Kahele to avoid Washington for months as he not only campaigned, but worked as a pilot for Hawaiian Airlines.
In fairness, Democrats were also joined by some Republicans, but, Democrats took way too much advantage of this, and, apparently, ending it is a “far right” thing
House Republicans approve new rules package filled with concessions to hard-right members
House Republicans approved a sweeping rules package Monday that includes many of the provisions sought by right-wing lawmakers in exchange for their support of Rep. Kevin McCarthy as speaker.
The new package for the 118th session of Congress was approved in a nearly party-line vote, with 220 Republicans backing its passage and 212 Democrats and one Republican voting against it. The package, which lays out how the lower chamber will conduct its business for the next two years, contains key provisions that McCarthy negotiated with far-right members of his party in order to win the speaker’s gavel — including making it easier for those same lawmakers to seek to remove him from power.
According to the new rules, it will now only take one lawmaker to propose removing the speaker from power, instead of five. The package also puts an end to pandemic era voting by proxy, which had allowed members to cast votes without being in Washington. It creates a special committee to investigate the “weaponization” of federal law enforcement, a common complaint from conservatives about the Department of Justice, which has prosecuted supporters of former President Donald Trump for their involvement in the Jan. 6 riot at the Capitol, and launched an investigation of Trump himself. The new rules also require that all pending legislation must be posted 72 hours before voting begins to allow the public (and lawmakers) time to review it.
Proxy would be fine if the people getting paid by the taxpayers were in their districts meeting with constituents. But, they don’t.
What’s wrong with the Legislative Branch providing oversight over the out of control Executive Branch agencies, as required by the Constitution? What’s wrong with giving lawmakers, and citizens, time to see the legislation? Is that “hard right?”
I have said, to Rep Thomas Massie (R-KY 4), who does know and follow me on Twitter, that I disagree on this. I would prefer to see a system in which our congresscritters can vote remotely, at least from their districts, so that they can spend more time amongst their constituents.
Our elected representatives spend too much time in Washington and too little at home, too much time in the Washington bubble than in Americans’ real lives.
Agreed. Modern internet connections using appropriate secure ports are perfectly adequate for casting remote votes. You wouldn’t even need to call it a proxy. No need for Congresspeople to have homes and offices in DC. No need for them to get cozy with the 95% Democratic party residents of DC.
In the current environment where every vote is party line, using proxys is just a simpler way to get the same result.
In fact, you don’t really even need to vote for real people. Voters can just select parties for each district and those become the proxies for some bureaucrat to count and apply to bills.
Heck, Democrats even figured out a way to not need voters anymore.
During his acceptance speech when he was elected Speaker on the fifteenth try, Kevin McCarthy promised, “Our very first bill will repeal the funding for 87,000 new IRS agents.”
Some things never change!
The NY Times and its employees lie. They don’t even lie well. That’s what happens when your people stop even basic levels of skepticism. NY Times used to be Americas paper of record. Now it’s just another Democratic party activist branch.
When a government employee retires, he stops getting paid. The amount he was getting paid is still in the budget can now be used to hire a replacement. Often, the replacement is new and gets paid less than the person retiring. Thus, retiring people cost LESS in payroll. No new money is ever needed to replace retiring or quitting people in the government.
How is that not “hiring new agents”? Even their lie admits they were lying.
And where would this new magical revenue source come from? The implied mechanism is “better enforcement would squeeze it out of people who are currently paying exactly $185.8B less in taxes now. You can only do that by hiring MORE agents.
But the real problem with the promise to repeal the money is: Republicans don’t own the Senate or the White house so they have zero chance of passing any bills that are not Democratic party agenda items.
It was the Congressional Budget Office (CBO) assessment, not the NYTs.
We all know why the GOP uses the term “87,000 new IRS agents”.
The question is why is the GOP House wasting their time passing bills with no chance of passing?
How many times did they “repeal” the Affordable Care Act?
Correction: NYT AND Wall Street Journal LIE.
Agreed. Modern internet connections using appropriate secure ports are perfectly adequate for casting remote votes. You wouldn’t even need to call it a proxy. No need for Congresspeople to have homes and offices in DC. No need for them to get cozy with the 95% Democratic party residents of DC.
Exactly!!
Would this apply to everyday votes by everyday citizens?