Blog

Phone It In

Washington, D.C., May 28, 2020

I cannot STAND litigation, but yesterday I quickly joined a sizable group of Republicans plaintiffs in a lawsuit against Nancy Pelosi. This is over a rule change she recently pushed through the Democrat-controlled House of Representatives that allows “proxy voting.”

Get this: Members in the House don’t even need to show up on Capitol Hill now. We can just “phone it in” and let another Member vote on our behalf.

Some might ask, “What’s wrong with that? Many other professions can work remotely, so why not Congress?”

Well, for starters – it’s not even legal. Article I, Section 4 of our Constitution says, “Congress shall ASSEMBLE at least once every year, and such MEETING shall be on…” Section 5 talks about the authorization to “compel the ATTENDANCE of absent Members.” And Section 6 speaks directly to the privileges Members have “during their ATTENDANCE.”

There was no proxy voting after the terrorist attacks of 9/11. Or during the Spanish Flu of 1918, or when the Capitol Building was torched during the War of 1812. There’s a reason why our Constitution clearly requires Members to be physically present.

It’s about the ability for rank & file Members to influence what legislation is considered, and how those laws are crafted. It’s about the ability to make sure other Members understand how a bill will affect your constituents back home. It’s also about the ability to debate, discuss, and yes, even compromise.

*** When this can’t happen, Congress becomes a rubber stamp for whatever leadership wants to pass. Case in point: go back and read my post on May 14th about Mrs. Pelosi’s 1,800-page, highly partisan, $3 trillion bill that was negotiated in secret.

Congress is not effective unless its together. Thanks to this new proxy voting rule, we had 71 Members vote by proxy on Wednesday. SEVENTY-ONE! All Democrats, no Republicans.

This new rule is also ripe to be exploited. While I was on a plane heading up to D.C. yesterday, Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) submitted his proxy authorization claiming he was “unable to physically attend due to the ongoing public health emergency.” Oh, but he had no problem showing up at the Kennedy Space Center for the planned SpaceX launch. It’s unbelievable.

Unforeseen circumstances (e.g. death in the family, illness, etc.) happen, I get it. But fear of risk is no excuse, particularly when extensive protective measures are in place like there are on Capitol Hill right now. Members of Congress ought to take reasonable precautions like every other American, show up and do their job!