The Middletown Press (Middletown, CT)
Congress permits proxy voting for 1st time
WASHINGTON — The U.S. House of Representatives approved a change Friday to allow remote voting for the first time in the chamber’s history as lawmakers struggle to legislate safely during the coronavirus pandemic.
The rule change allowing for proxy voting passed the House by a mostly partyline vote of 217 to 189 Friday. All Connecticut House members voted in favor.
Thanks to this change, now a House member who cannot be present in the chamber for the vote for health and safety concerns related to coronavirus can give written instructions to another member of Congress directing that member on how to cast a vote for them. Representatives who are present in the chamber can cast votes for up to 10 members who are not present. That means, worst case scenario, it would take just 45 representatives to ensure that the entire House of Representatives can vote.
This change is a big deal because, as I previously devoted a whole column to explaining, there are many hurdles to implementing remote voting, including cybersecurity concerns, legal concerns and precendent. Congress has never permitted remote voting like this before even though other emergencies, like the Sept. 11 attacks, also made voting on Capitol Hill unsafe or challenging.
House Republican Leader Kevin McCarthy, R-Calif., blasted the change as “Congress’s most significant power grab in history” in a speech Friday.
“Our Founders would be ashamed that we aren’t assembling,” he said. “It means that they can stay home for the rest of the year, but still get paid for the rest of the year. It means that they let someone else — Speaker [Nancy] Pelosi — consolidate power and do their job for them, when they could do it for themselves.”
But Democrats have said the change is a necessary temporary adaption to keep everyone healthy — lawmakers, their thousands of staff members and the constituents who live in the districts they travel back to.
The rule change also allows the House to hold virtual hearings in which they can question witnesses via videoconference, something that was not previously permitted.
“I expect to ramp up [committee hearings],” said Rep. Rosa DeLauro, D-3, who leads a budget-writing subcommittee. “Everyone should be allowed to participate and now we can do it remotely or virtually.”
The Senate, a smaller body, has not yet made any changes to its voting practices.
Greenwich man nominated
In non-coronavirus news, President Donald Trump nominated Louis W. Bremer of Greenwich to be an assistant secretary of defense for special operations and low intensity conflict last week.
Bremer, 50, was a Navy SEAL for eight years and is now a managing director at the New York City-based private equity firm Cerberus Capital Management. During President George W. Bush’s administration, Bremer was a White House fellow for one year and served on the Homeland Security Council in the executive office of the president. A registered Republican, he graduated from the U.S. Air Force Academy and the University of Chicago Booth School of Business.
“He has spent the past 20 years focused on defense and national security investments in the United States and emerging markets,” the White House said.
Sens. Chris Murphy and Richard Blumenthal, DConn., will eventually get to vote on Bremer’s nomination, Blumenthal on the Senate Armed Services Committee and both in a full Senate vote. Such votes have not yet been scheduled.
Blumenthal said he’d never met Bremer but looked forward to reviewing his nomination.
“I’ve only seen press reports of Mr. Bremer’s nomination and I look forward to hearing more about his qualifications,” Murphy said. “Obviously I’m always interested more when it’s a Connecticut resident that is up for a senior position in this administration.”
In September, Politico reported that “Lou” Bremer was the lead contender for the DoD job, which overseas special operations forces. But his candidacy alarmed some former special operations troops and Pentagon officials who were hoping to clean up some SEAL behavior, because he publicly advertised his tequila-drinking and came up through the SEAL forces, which now are facing allegations ranging from homicide to sexual assault to illegal drug and alcohol use.
The Atlantic reported that Bremer went to the White House in 2017 with Cerberus founder and chief executive Steve Feinberg. Bremer also attended Trump’s inauguration, the Atlantic reported. Bremer did not contribute to Trump’s inauguration fund, according to Open Secrets – the way in which many wealthy Republicans obtained spots at the inauguration.
Bremer did not respond to a requests for comment left with his office and the White House.