Vulnerable Minnesota Democrat Rep. Angie Craig claimed she could not attend necessary House votes in person due to the “ongoing public health emergency” yet promoted the so-called bipartisan infrastructure package with President Joe Biden in her district that same evening, then again voted in person the very next day and attended an NBA game in Washington, DC.
Craig claimed she was unable to attend the votes in the House, on November 30, because of the “ongoing public health emergency” in the world, according to her letter to the Clerk in the House. Craig authorized Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) to cast her vote in the House while she was “unable” to be there in person.
While Craig was not in the House votes, she voted by proxy through Jacobs for H.R. 4026, the Social Determinants of Health Data Analysis Act, and H.R. 550, the Immunization Infrastructure Modernization Act.
However, on the same night, November 30, Craig said on social media, “It was wonderful to welcome @POTUS to #MN02 today to discuss just how much the bipartisan infrastructure package will benefit our local communities.”
Amid the “ongoing public health emergency,” the congresswoman voted in-person for all roll call votes on December 1, the very next day, according to a spokesperson. Craig posted a picture of herself later that evening with other lawmakers, maskless, inside, at an NBA game at DC’s Capital One Arena.
“It’s @deanbphillips and me against @davidjtrone tonight. Let’s go @Timberwolves,” she wrote.
Breitbart News has continuously reported on House Democrat efforts to abuse proxy voting. Pelosi has incessantly 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, Craig has joined the growing list of Democrats to abuse the capability:
- Rep. Charlie Crist (D-FL) used the proxy vote, saying he could not vote in Congress but could 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), 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.
- Rep. Susan Wild (D-PA) claimed to be proxy voting due to the coronavirus; however, on the same day, her campaign began paying nearly $1,700 for travel to a 5-star luxury hotel in Miami Beach. She later bragged about voting “yes” on a bill done by proxy.
- Rep. Andy Kim (D-NJ), whose district houses a military base, used the proxy voting rule to miss the in-person vote on the National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) but appeared to see his six-year-old child on his birthday.
House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy (R-CA), earlier this year, during a press conference, said 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.
Additionally, early last year, House Minority Whip Steve Scalise (R-LA), while making a television appearance, said proxy voting is “unconstitutional,” and any significant pieces of legislation passed under the rules “will be challenged.”
Editor’s Note: The headline of this story as it first appeared inaccurately suggested that Rep. Craig utilized a proxy vote in order to attend an NBA game. The headline has been updated to more accurately reflect that Rep. Craig cited a ubiquitous “public health emergency” to avoid in-person voting on the 30th, merely one day before attending an NBA game maskless. The text of this story has also been updated to include Rep. Craig’s in-person voting one day after proxy voting due to an ongoing “public health emergency.”
Jacob Bliss is a reporter for Breitbart News. You can follow him on Twitter.