The CPAC proved such a draw, conservative Republicans chose the conference over its constituents.
Why does it matter: More than a dozen House Republicans voted by proxy on the $ 1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief bill in Washington so they could speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as CPAC. And Senator Ted Cruz chose to be there, rather than his hometown, Houston, when President Biden visited him to assess the damage caused by the storm.
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The proxy votes were particularly strident, given that the Republican Party sued to prevent the practice when Democrats created it to allow safe voting during the coronavirus pandemic.
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And Cruz’s visit to Florida – which, he joked, was not as good as his trip to Cancún – cost him the same amount of time as Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) had when he greeted and accompanied the president in Texas.
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White House press secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday: “There was no invitation or request to (Cruz) attend. Several members of both parties came and joined the president on the trip.”
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Cruz’s office did not immediately comment, but later added: “Senator Cruz has not been invited, but remains in close contact with state and local authorities and is focused on helping to ensure that there is a complete federal response to these storms.” .
The big picture: The CPAC attracted a band of Republicans over the course of four days, some simply looking for the party spotlight and others positioning themselves for the 2024 presidential campaign.
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Everyone had to step on the fine line between defending their own interests and paying tribute to former President Trump, who delivered the closing speech on Sunday.
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The lure of thousands of participants – and almost hammer-to-hammer coverage on Fox News – has led some to put their personal policy ahead of constituent responsibilities.
At least 13 Republicans in Congress Those scheduled to speak at CPAC asked colleagues to vote by proxy – a voting procedure that allows House members to vote remotely during the pandemic.
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Representatives Ted Budd and Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Matt Gaetz and Greg Steube of Florida, who were scheduled to speak at the conference on Friday, asked colleagues to vote on their behalf.
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“I am unable to physically attend the proceedings in the City Hall due to the ongoing public health emergency, and hereby grant the authority to vote by proxy to Honorable Scott Franklin (FL-15), who has agreed to serve as my proxy” , wrote Gaetz in his explanatory letter.
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Representatives Jim Banks of Indiana, Paul Gosar of Arizona, Mark Green of Tennessee, Darrell Issa and Devin Nunes of California, Ronny Jackson of Texas, Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, Ralph Norman of South Carolina and Lauren Boebert of Colorado voted by proxy after being listed as scheduled speakers, CNN reported
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A spokesman for Budd told Yahoo News that the congressman still opposes the procedure, but was forced to use it because “Democrats reorganized the House’s schedule with extremely late notice”. Budd also donated his daily salary to the North Carolina Restaurant Workers Aid Fund, the spokesman said.
Background: Republicans have been the main critics of the proxy vote, despite adopting it in recent days.
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Last May, House minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California), 20 other Republicans in the House and four constituents filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of the proxy vote. He was dismissed, but McCarthy filed an appeal.
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On the same day, Whip House Republican Steve Scalise (R-La.) Urged his conference to renounce proxy voting if members were unable to appear for a vote in person.
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“They are encouraged to submit their voting positions to the Congressional Record instead of using the Democrats’ proxy voting scheme,” he wrote.
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More than a dozen Republicans did not vote on May 27, including Congressman Don Young, effectively depriving the entire state of Alaska. Overall, more than 9 million constituents were not represented in a vote to amend the 1978 Foreign Intelligence Surveillance Act.
Republicans are not alone in some questionable uses of the procedure.
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Democratic MPs Charlie Crist and Darren Soto of Florida participated in a rocket launch in their home state after requesting a proxy vote at the last Congress.
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While the launch was canceled due to bad weather, McCarthy attacked the two by posting a copy of his power of attorney alongside photos of Crist and Soto In the event.
Editor’s note: this story has been updated to reflect John Cornyn accompanying the president only in Texas, Jen Psaki’s comment about Ted Cruz not asking or being invited on President Biden’s trip to Texas and Cruz’s office explaining that he remains in contact with federal officials.
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