• Republicans skip House vote to attend CPAC, cite “ongoing public health emergency,”
House members attending CPAC
More than a dozen of former President Donald Trump’s closest Republican allies in the House skipped Friday’s votes and enlisted their colleagues to vote on their behalf, signing letters saying they can’t attend “due to the ongoing public health emergency.”
But those members were actually in Orlando, Fla., and listed as speakers at the Conservative Political Action Conference, an annual meeting aimed at energizing conservative activists.
The members include Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz, who addressed the conference on Friday, as well as others who were listed as scheduled speakers. such as Reps. Paul Gosar of Arizona, Jim Banks of Indiana, Madison Cawthorn of North Carolina, Ted Budd of North Carolina, Mark Green of Tennessee, Darrell Issa of California, Ronny Jackson of Texas, Mike Kelly of Pennsylvania, Ralph Norman of South Carolina, Devin Nunes of California and Greg Steube of Florida.
Freshman Rep. Lauren Boebert of Colorado also signed a letter saying she couldn’t attend votes and was listed as a CPAC speaker, although CNN spotted her in the Capitol earlier in the day Friday, and it was unclear if she planned to skip evening votes, including on the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief package.
Aides to the 13 Republicans did not respond to requests for comment.
The move is surprising given that Republicans were critics of the system to vote by proxy during the coronavirus pandemic, even suing over it and often ridiculing Democrats for staying at
home and demanding they return to Washington.
“Leaders show up no matter how uncertain the times
are,” Mr. Cawthorn tweeted last summer. “The Democrats are cowards for not showing up to work.”
Top Democrats on Friday reacted strongly to the news.
“Apparently hypocrisy has become a tenant of the Republican Party,” said House Rules Chairman Jim McGovern, a D-Mass. “Let me get this straight: These members can’t vote in person because of the pandemic, but they manage to attend CPAC? They were even maskless at this super spreader event. It’s outrageous!”
To vote by proxy, lawmakers must sign a letter with the House clerk and allow another member to vote at their direction and on their behalf. The letters, filed with the House clerk’s office, say: “I am unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency.”