(ConservativeFreePress.com) – House Republicans have officially ended proxy voting, which was originally a 2020-era rule that allowed lawmakers to vote regardless of whether they were present in person. House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) noted on Thursday that proxy voting was no longer applicable and that all Members of Congress would need to be physically present in order to have their vote count.
The proxy voting rule had first been established by former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., in May 2020. It was an essential part of Congress being able to continue running despite the lockdown protocols that had been put in place. According to the proxy voting system, when not present in Congress, members had to write a letter to be read by one of their colleagues, which held all the information regarding which bills and amendments they were voting for.
Republicans however, have argued that this policy has allowed lawmakers to not be as serious in handling their responsibilities. This is despite the fact that many GOP lawmakers have also abused and used the proxy voting policy.
Recent examples of the proxy voting policy being used, include the case of three Democrats who attended an event with President Biden at the Ford Motors facility in Dearborn, Michigan, in May 2021 and cases where Rep. Matt Gaetz, R-Fla., and other Republicans have taken advantage of the proxy vote in order to attend and speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference.
McCarthy had promised that the proxy voting practice was going to end when the GOP won the House majority. He added that the Senate had been using in-person Floor voting for the past few years, which clearly shows that the House could be doing something similar.
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