CPAC proved such a draw, and conservative Republicans voted the conference over their constituents.
Why it matters: More than a dozen House Republicans voted in favor of the $ 1.9 billion COVID-19 enlightenment bill in Washington so they could speak at the Conservative Political Action Conference, known as the CPAC. And Senator Ted Cruz chose to be there instead of his hometown of Houston when President Biden visited to investigate storm damage.
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The proxy votes were particularly strict, as the IDP sued to stop the practice when Democrats created it to enable safe voting during the coronavirus pandemic.
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And Cruz’s visit to Florida – which, he joked, was not as enjoyable as his very bad trip to Cancun – cost him the same face time that Senator John Cornyn (R-Texas) had when he greeted the president in Texas and accompanied. .
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White House Press Secretary Jen Psaki said on Friday: “There has been no invitation or request for (Cruz) to attend. There are a number of members of both parties attending and attending the president join.”
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Cruz’s office did not immediately comment, but later added: “Sen. Cruz was not invited, but remains in close contact with government officials and local officials and focuses on ensuring a federal response to these storms. ‘
The whole picture: For four days, the CPAC attracted a handful of Republicans, some merely seeking the party’s spotlight and others positioning themselves for the 2024 presidential campaign.
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Everyone had to tread the fine line between promoting their own interests and paying tribute to former President Trump, who delivered Sunday’s closing speech.
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The allure of thousands of participants – and close to the hammer-to-hammer coverage on Fox News – has led some to put their personal policies above the composite responsibilities.
At least 13 Republicans in Congress who would speak at CPAC asked colleagues to cast their votes by proxy – a voting procedure that allows members of the House to vote remotely during the pandemic.
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Reps Ted Budd and Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina and Matt Gaetz and Greg Steube of Florida, who would all speak at the conference on Friday, urged colleagues to vote on their behalf.
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“I am unable to physically attend the proceedings in the House of Representatives due to the ongoing public health emergency, and I hereby grant the power to cast my vote to the Honorable Scott Franklin (FL-15), who agreed around my proxy, ‘Gaetz wrote in his explanatory letter.
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Reps 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 all voted by proxy. after being listed as scheduled speakers, CNN reports.
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A Budd spokesman told Yahoo News that the congressman was still against the procedure but was forced to use it because “Democrats reshuffled the roster with extremely late notice. “Budd also donated his daily wage to the North Carolina Restaurant Workers Relief Fund,” the spokesman said.
Background: Republicans have been the leading critics of proxy voting, despite their embrace of it over the past few days.
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Last May, House minority leader Kevin McCarthy (R-California), 20 other House Republicans and four voters filed a lawsuit challenging the constitutionality of proxy voting. It was denied, but McCarthy appealed.
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The same day, Steve Scalise (R-La.), The Republican whip of the House, appealed to his conference to waive power of attorney if members could not appear for a personal vote.
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“They are encouraged to submit their voting positions to the Congressional Record rather than using the Democrats’ proxy voting scheme,” he wrote.
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More than a dozen Republicans did not vote on May 27, including Rep. Don Young, who effectively denies the entire state of Alaska. In general, more than 9 million voters were not represented in the vote to amend the Foreign Intelligence Act of 1978.
Republicans are not alone in some dubious uses of the procedure.
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Democratic representatives Charlie Crist and Darren Soto of Florida attended a rocket launch in their home country after asking Congress to vote by proxy last Congress.
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While the launch was canceled due to inclement weather, McCarthy detonated the two through a copy of their power of attorney letter next to the photos of Crist and Soto at the event.
Editor’s Note: This story has been updated to reflect John Cornyn, who accompanied the President in Texas only, and Jen Psaki’s remark about Ted Cruz not being asked or invited about President Biden’s trip to Texas, and the Cruz office’s explanation that he’s staying in touch with federal officials.
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