Vulnerable Pennsylvania Democrat Rep. Susan Wild designated a proxy vote due to the “ongoing public health emergency” on the same day her campaign began paying nearly $1,700 for travel to a 5-star luxury hotel on Miami Beach. Despite bragging about how she is “proud to vote YES” on important legislation benefiting veterans, she did not vote in person.
Wild’s campaign committee paid a total of $1,676.65 to the Fontainebleau Miami Beach for “travel.” between September 20 and 23.
Between September 20 and September 23, 2021, Susan Wild’s campaign committee paid a total of $1,676.65 to the Fontainebleau Miami Beach for “travel.” The payments given to the 5-star luxury hotel in Miami Beach — which Luxury Travel boasts about its “oceanfront” with a “striking design,” and “a vibrant guest experience” — were split up into two separate charges, the first on September 20 for $335.16 and the second charge on September 23 for $1,341.49.
Additionally, it appears Wild reimbursed herself from her campaign account for a $567.60 travel payment to American Airlines on September 21, which is outlined in her itemized disbursements.
On September 20, Wild designated a proxy vote to Rep. Mary Gay Scanlon (D-PA), a colleague from her state and party, citing the “ongoing public health emergency.” She wrote, “I am unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency,” granting her voting power to Scanlon.
On the same day, Wild voted via proxy when the House unanimously voted yea on Roll Call 261, which was a motion to suspend the rules and pass H.R. 5293, the Department of Veterans Affairs Expiring Authorities Act, which was a bill intended to “enhance veterans’ access to mental health and dental care.”
Additionally, Wild voted via proxy when the House unanimously voted yea on Roll Call 262, which was a motion to suspend the rules and pass S. 189, the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act, which would “increase the amounts paid to veterans for disability compensation and to their survivors for dependency and indemnity compensation.”
However, the very next day, September 21, Wild said she was “proud to vote YES” on S. 189 “last night,” despite not being there in person.
“Last night, I was proud to vote YES for the Veterans’ Compensation Cost-of-Living Adjustment Act of 2021. Our veterans have sacrificed so much for this country. They deserve the guarantee from us that their disability benefits will increase as the cost of living does,” she wrote.
Additionally, on the same day, Wild revoked the proxy vote designation. “I write to notify you of the revocation of my previous designation of a proxy to cast my vote,” the letter said. “As of today, the Honorable Mary Gay Scanlon (PA) is no longer authorized to cast my vote by proxy.”
Pelosi has continuously extended the ability for House members to proxy vote, even though, initially, proxy voting was only supposed to be in effect for 45 days during the height of the pandemic, so members could cast votes without risking travel. Since then, Wild has been joined by other Democrat members who have abused the capability:
- Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) used the proxy vote, saying he could not vote in Congress but was able to attend the space launch.
- Rep. Thomas Suozzi (D-NY) used proxy voting after admitting he wanted to return home and spend time with family since it “would only be suspension vote.”
- Rep. Jared Golden (D-ME), in order to save Pelosi’s partisan Capitol security funding bill, switched to proxy voting after saying he would not due to “family responsibilities.”
- Rep. Haley Stevens (D-MI), Rep. Elissa Slotkin (D-MI), and Rep. Dan Kildee (D-MI), all members of Michigan’s Democrat Congressional delegation, claimed they were proxy voting due to the “ongoing public health emergency,” but were able to attend President Joe Biden’s visit to their state.
- Rep. Ron Kind (D-WI), Rep. Mark Pocan (D-WI), and Rep. Gwen Moore (D-WI), all members Wisconsin’s Democrat Congressional delegation, were found in a report to be abusing their proxy voting privilege, some using it to take off early on the last day of voting for a possible long weekend.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), earlier this year, during a press conference, said that he would end the proxy voting capability when Republicans take back the House in the midterms. He also said the rules in the House under Pelosi do not make any sense, and he has since affirmed his position on that.
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter.