Proxy voting could change dynamics of legislative branch.
Neither the Civil War nor the Great Depression nor any other national crisis has brought the House of Representatives to a decision that would allow lawmakers to vote by proxy. But the coronavirus pandemic caused the House to make history Friday evening.
Changes that allow lawmakers to vote without being “present” as the Constitution requires were approved so that Congress can keep functioning even while it is partially closed, House lawmakers said.
The change is expected to dramatically shift the look, if not the operation, of the legislative branch, launching a 21st century WiFi House of Representatives.
“The House must continue legislating,” said Representative Jim McGovern, the chairman of the House Rules Committee. “And we have to do so in a way that is safe for all those around us.”
Representative Tom Cole of Oklahoma warned the changes will fundamentally alter the nature of the institution, “and not for the better.”
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy of California argued that if other Americans are at work, Congress should be also. “It’s a very sad day inside this House,” he said.
As the Lord Leads, Pray with Us…
- For members of the House of Representatives who will now be living with new rules that permit proxy voting.
- About whether the changes will give way to abuses of power held by a few.
Sources: The Hill, Newsmax
