Missed GOP Proxy Votes Aids Passage of Dem Capitol Security Bill

Rep. Ken Calvert, R-Calif., recently failed to cast Rep. John Carter, R-Texas’s, vote on the Democrat-backed $1.9 billion Capitol security spending bill on May 20 because it “slipped his mind,” according to a spokesperson, reported the Epoch Times.

“Rep. Calvert made a mistake and simply forgot to cast Rep. Carter’s vote,” the spokesperson added.

The mishap comes just days after House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, D-Calif., extended the vote-by-proxy mandate, reported the Epoch Times.

The bill narrowly passed 213-212, as several Democrats voted against the bill or abstained. Many of them said that they didn’t want to provide more funding for police departments, according to the Times.

Carter’s spokesperson, meanwhile, said that he was opposed to the measure. “The congressman included a statement in the record that he would’ve voted no,” said Carter’s spokesperson.

Proxy voting is a form of voting whereby a member of a decision-making body may delegate his or her voting power to a representative, to enable a vote in absence.

Republicans do not favor voting by proxy.

Rep. Daniel Webster, R-Fla., also did not vote on the measure, with a spokesperson saying that he is opposed to proxy voting and was not able to vote in-person on the package.

“Rep. Webster missed votes because he was unavoidably detained in the district and wasn’t able to make it to D.C. in time to make the votes,” a spokesperson for Webster said. “He likely would have opposed the bill — he didn’t proxy vote on principle as he is on the record opposing proxy-voting and was part of the original lawsuit challenging its constitutionality.”

A tied vote in the House — unlike the Senate, where the vice president can cast a tie-breaking vote — means that a bill does not pass.

Despite the bill passing in the House, Senate Minority Leader Mitch McConnell, R-Ky. suggested last week that he does not favor the measure in its current form.

“We’re not sure what to spend the money on yet. So, I think we are pushing the pause button here,” McConnell said, according to the Times.

Reps. Cori Bush, D-Mo., Ilhan Omar, D-Minn., and Ayanna Pressley, D-Mass., voted no. while Reps. Jamaal Bowman, D-N.Y., Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., and Rashida Tlaib, D-Mich, voted present. All other Democrats voted to support it, reported the Epoch Times.

The bill would reimburse the National Guard for costs incurred when troops were deployed to the Capitol earlier this year, provide Capitol Police with overtime pay, and other resources. It would also create a response force that would aid Capitol Police during a crisis, as well as fortify doors and windows at the building.

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