These lawmakers sent proxies for $1.7T spending bill vote
They shaped the future of America’s long-term spending from the comfort of their La-Z-Boy recliners.
More than half the members of the House of Representatives called out sick Friday when the lower chamber passed the massive $1.7 trillion spending bill – instead opting to take advantage of the widely-abused COVID-era proxy voting system.
A bipartisan group of 226 congressional lawmakers filed proxy letters with the House clerk before Friday’s vote, giving notice that they will designate a colleague to vote in their place.
The pandemic-era policy allowing lawmakers to choose a representative to vote in their stead was instituted by House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in 2020, ostensibly as a temporary measure to reduce the health risks associated with COVID-19 at the height of the pandemic.
For the last two years, the proxy voting policy, known as House Resolution 8, has been extended every 45 days by Pelosi, allowing lawmakers to be physically absent for monumental votes.
“Pursuant to House Resolution 8, I write to notify you of the designation of a proxy to cast my vote. I am unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency,” Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-Ga.) wrote in a letter filed earlier this week notifying the clerk that she intended to vote by proxy.
Greene is reportedly on vacation in Costa Rica, according to Business Insider.
Pelosi explained to a CNN reporter on Friday that the mass absences were “related to the weather more than anything else.”
An analysis done by CQ Roll Call in October found that more than half the votes of a dozen House Democrats were cast by proxy. The voting method is unsurprisingly more common on days lawmakers are showing up or leaving town.
In the summer of 2021, Rep. Mondaire Jones (D-N.Y.) used Pelosi’s proxy voting policy to skip more than a dozen House votes, citing the “public health emergency.”
During the time Jones’s proxy letter was on file, he actually partied in France at actress Issa Rae’s lavish wedding.
Jones was present on Friday and voted “yea” on the omnibus bill in what may have been one of the last votes he casts. In August, Jones lost his bid for a second term, losing his primary election.
On Friday, five Republicans who voted in favor of the massive spending legislation had active proxy letters: Reps. John Katko (R-N.Y.), Jamie Herrera Beutler (R-Wash.), Chris Jacobs (R-N.Y.), Adam Kinzinger (R-Ill.), and Rodney Davis (R-Ill.) – all five will not serve in the next Congress.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) said on Friday that in next year’s GOP-controlled House the proxy voting policy will be repealed “once and for all.”
“The Democrats care so much about the people that they’re home with the people and not here to read the bill or even vote on it,” McCarthy said. “I’m not sure you don’t put a medal in here, for the people who don’t show up for work. Because they care so much.”
“The American people deserve us to be here over Christmas actually fighting for them, instead of trying to catch planes while half this body are going to vote by proxy,” Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said before the House vote on Friday.
“Half this body’s not even going to be here and they’re lying. They’re lying on forms saying that they’re voting by proxy for COVID,” he added.
Below is the complete list of representatives who voted via proxy on the omnibus spending bill:
| ALMA ADAMS (D-NC) |
| PETE AGUILAR (D-CA) |
| MARK AMODEI (R-NV) |
| JAKE AUCHINCLOSS (D-MA) |
| CYNTHIA AXNE (D-IA) |
| BRIAN BABIN (R-TX) |
| DON BACON (R-NE) |
| JAMES BAIRD (R-IN) |
| ANDY BARR (R-KY) |
| NANETTE BARRAGÁN (D-CA) |
| JOYCE BEATTY (D-OH) |
| CLIFF BENTZ (R-OR) |
| AMI BERA (D-CA) |
| DAN BISHOP (R-NC) |
| SANFORD D. BISHOP JR. (D-GA) |
| EARL BLUMENAUER (D-OR) |
| LAUREN BOEBERT (R-CO) |
| SUZANNE BONAMICI (D-OR) |
| MO BROOKS (R-AL) |
| SHONTEL M. BROWN (D-OH) |
| ANTHONY BROWN (D-MD) |
| JULIA BROWNLEY (D-CA) |
| VERN BUCHANAN (D-FL) |
| TED BUDD (R-NC) |
| MICHAEL BURGESS (R-TX) |
| CORI BUSH (D-MO) |
| CHERI BUSTOS (D-IL) |
| TONY CÁRDENAS (D-CA) |
| JOHN CARTER (R-TX) |
| BUDDY CARTER (R-GA) |
| MATT CARTWRIGHT (D-PA) |
| KATHY CASTOR(D-FL) |
| JOAQUIN CASTRO (D-TX) |
| JUDY CHU (D-CA) |
| EMANUEL CLEAVER (D-MO) |
| JAMES E. CLYBURN (D-SC) |
| STEVE COHEN (D-TN) |
| CONNIE CONWAY (R-CA) |
| JIM COOPER (D-TN) |
| JIM COSTA (D-CA) |
| JOE COURTNEY (D-CT) |
| RICK CRAWFORD (R-AR) |
| JASON CROW (D-CO) |
| HENRY CUELLAR (D-TX) |
| JOHN R. CURTIS (R-UT) |
| DANNY K. DAVIS (D-IL) |
| MADELEINE DEAN (D-PA) |
| PETER DEFAZIO (D-OR) |
| DIANA DEGETTE (D-CO) |
| SUZAN DELBENE (D-WA) |
| VAL DEMINGS (D-FL) |
| MARK DESAULNIER (D-CA) |
| SCOTT DESJARLAIS (R-TN) |
| DEBBIE DINGELL (D-MI) |
| LLOYD DOGGETT (D-TX) |
| MICHAEL DOYLE (D-PA) |
| JEFF DUNCAN (R-SC) |
| VERONICA ESCOBAR (D-TX) |
| DREW FERGUSON (R-GA) |
| LIZZIE FLETCHER (D-TX) |
| MAYRA FLORES (R-TX) |
| BILL FOSTER (D-IL) |
| LOIS FRANKEL (D-FL) |
| RUBEN GALLEGO (D-AZ) |
| JOHN GARAMENDI (D-CA) |
| ANDREW R. GARBARINO (R-NY) |
| JESUS G. “CHUY” GARCÍA (D-IL) |
| BOB GIBBS (R-OH) |
| CARLOS A. GIMENEZ (R-FL) |
| JIMMY GOMEZ (D-CA) |
| TONY GONZALES (R-TX) |
| VICENTE GONZALEZ (D-TX) |
| BOB GOOD (R-VA) |
| LANCE GOODEN (R-TX) |
| PAUL GOSAR (R-AZ) |
| JOSH GOTTHEIMER (D-NJ) |
| SAM GRAVES (R-MO) |
| MARJORIE TAYLOR GREENE (R-GA) |
| RAUL GRIJALVA (D-AZ) |
| GLENN GROTHMAN (R-WI) |
| ANDY HARRIS (R-MD) |
| VICKY HARTZLER (R-MO) |
| JAHANA HAYES (D-CT) |
| KEVIN HERN (R-OK) |
| YVETTE HERRELL (R-NM) |
| JAIME HERRERA BEUTLER (R-WA) |
| JODY HICE (R-GA) |
| BRIAN HIGGINS (D-NY) |
| CHRISSY HOULAHAN (D-PA) |
| RICHARD HUDSON (R-NC) |
| JARED HUFFMAN (D-CA) |
| DARRELL ISSA (R-CA) |
| CHRIS JACOBS (R-NY) |
| PRAMILA JAYAPAL (D-WA) |
| EDDIE BERNICE JOHNSON (D-TX) |
| MIKE JOHNSON (R-LA) |
| DAVID JOYCE (R-OH) |
| KAIALI’I KAHELE (D-HI) |
| JOHN KATKO (R-NY) |
| WILLIAM KEATING (D-MA) |
| MIKE KELLY (R-PA) |
| ROBIN KELLY (D-IL) |
| RO KHANNA (D-CA) |
| DANIEL KILDEE (D-MI) |
| DEREK KILMER (D-WA) |
| RON KIND (D-WI) |
| ADAM KINZINGER (R-IL) |
| ANN KIRKPATRICK (D-AZ) |
| RAJA KRISHNAMOORTHI (D-IL) |
| ANN KUSTER (D-NH) |
| DARIN LAHOOD (R-IL) |
| DOUG LAMALFA (R-CA) |
| DOUG LAMBORN (R-CO) |
| JIM LANGEVIN (D-RI) |
| JOHN B. LARSON (D-CT) |
| JAKE LATURNER (R-KS) |
| BRENDA LAWRENCE (D-MI) |
| AL LAWSON (D-FL) |
| LEE(NV03) |
| TERESA LEGER FERNANDEZ (D-NM) |
| JULIA LETLOW (R-LA) |
| ZOE LOFGREN (D-CA) |
| BILLY LONG (R-MO) |
| BARRY LOUDERMILK (R-GA) |
| ALAN LOWENTHAL (D-CA) |
| BLAINE LUETKEMEYER (R-MO) |
| ELAINE LURIA (D-VA) |
| STEPHEN F. LYNCH (D-MA) |
| NANCY MACE (R-SC) |
| NICOLE MALLIOTAKIS (R-NY) |
| SEAN PATRICK MALONEY (D-NY) |
| KATHY E. MANNING (D-NC) |
| LUCY MCBATH (D-GA) |
| MICHAEL T. MCCAUL (R-TX) |
| LISA MCCLAIN (R-MI) |
| PATRICK MCHENRY (R-NC) |
| GREGORY MEEKS (D-NY) |
| PETER MEIJER (R-MI) |
| GRACE MENG (D-NY) |
| DANIEL MEUSER (R-PA) |
| CAROL MILLER (R-WV) |
| MARY MILLER (R-IL) |
| MARIANNETTE MILLER-MEEKS (R-IA) |
| JOHN MOOLENAAR (R-MI) |
| GWEN MOORE (D-WI) |
| BLAKE MOORE (R-UT) |
| JOSEPH MORELLE (D-NY) |
| SETH MOULTON (D-MA) |
| FRANK J. MRVAN (D-IN) |
| STEPHANIE MURPHY (D-FL) |
| GRACE NAPOLITANO (D-CA) |
| RICHARD NEAL (D-MA) |
| JOE NEGUSE (D-CO) |
| MARIE NEWMAN (D-IL) |
| TOM O’HALLERAN (D-AZ) |
| JAY OBERNOLTE (R-CA) |
| ALEXANDRIA OCASIO-CORTEZ (D-NY) |
| ILHAN OMAR (D-MN) |
| BURGESS OWENS (R-UT) |
| STEVEN PALAZZO (R-MS) |
| BILL PASCRELL (D-NJ) |
| DONALD PAYNE (D-NJ) |
| SCOTT PETERS (D-CA) |
| CHELLIE PINGREE (D-ME) |
| MARK POCAN (D-WI) |
| KATIE PORTER (D-CA) |
| BILL POSEY (D-FL) |
| AYANNA PRESSLEY (D-MA) |
| MIKE QUIGLEY (D-IL) |
| TOM RICE (R-SC) |
| KATHLEEN RICE (D-NY) |
| CATHY MCMORRIS RODGERS (R-WA) |
| HAROLD ROGERS (R-KY) |
| MIKE ROGERS (R-AL) |
| LUCILLE ROYBAL-ALLARD (D-CA) |
| RAUL RUIZ (D-CA) |
| BOBBY L. RUSH (D-IL) |
| TIM RYAN (D-OH) |
| MARIA ELVIRA SALAZAR (R-FL) |
| MICHAEL F.Q. SAN NICOLAS (D-GU) |
| LINDA SANCHEZ (D-CA) |
| MARY GAY SCANLON (D-PA) |
| JAN SCHAKOWSKY (D-IL) |
| BRADLEY SCHNEIDER (D-IL) |
| KURT SCHRADER (D-OR) |
| DAVID SCOTT (D-GA) |
| TERRI SEWELL (D-AL) |
| MIKIE SHERRILL (D-NJ) |
| MIKE SIMPSON (R-ID) |
| ALBIO SIRES (D-NJ) |
| ELISSA SLOTKIN (D-MI) |
| ADAM SMITH (D-WA) |
| LLOYD SMUCKER (R-PA) |
| VICTORIA SPARTZ (R-IN) |
| JACKIE SPEIER (D-CA) |
| MELANIE ANN STANSBURY (D-NM) |
| PETE STAUBER (R-MN) |
| MICHELLE STEEL (R-CA) |
| ELISE STEFANIK (R-NY) |
| W. GREGORY STEUBE (R-FL) |
| HALEY STEVENS (D-MI) |
| CHRIS STEWART (R-UT) |
| THOMAS SUOZZI (D-NY) |
| ERIC SWALWELL (D-CA) |
| BENNIE G. THOMPSON (D-MS) |
| MIKE THOMPSON (D-CA) |
| TOM TIFFANY (R-WI) |
| DINA TITUS (D-NV) |
| RASHIDA TLAIB (D-MI) |
| RITCHIE TORRES (D-NY) |
| LORI TRAHAN (D-MA) |
| DAVID TRONE (D-MD) |
| MICHAEL TURNER (R-OH) |
| JEFF VAN DREW (R-NJ) |
| BETH VAN DUYNE (R-TX) |
| JUAN VARGAS (D-CA) |
| MARC VEASEY (D-TX) |
| NYDIA VELAZQUEZ (D-NY) |
| ANN WAGNER (R-MO) |
| MIKE WALTZ (R-FL) |
| BONNIE WATSON COLEMAN (D-NJ) |
| PETER WELCH (D-VT) |
| BRAD WENSTRUP (R-OH) |
| ROGER WILLIAMS (R-TX) |
| NIKEMA WILLIAMS (D-GA) |
| FREDERICA WILSON (D-FL) |
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