(PresidentialInsider.com)- Nany Pelosi is not going to force the members of the House of Representatives to return to Washington, D.C., to conduct their normal business just yet.
Earlier this week, the House Speaker said the special rules that have allowed floor voting to happen remotely and committee proceedings to go on virtually will continue through at least mid-August.
The House has consistently lagged behind the rest of the country when it comes to resuming normal life amid the pandemic, showing that it’s truly a liberal rhetoric that Pelosi is trying to continue to ram down people’s throats.
A few weeks ago, the Capitol doctor officially lifted rules for social distancing and mandatory mask wearing for any members and their staff who were fully vaccinated against COVID-19.
Some House committees have even met in person since then, with all members not wearing masks. Still, Pelosi wants to extend the remote voting options for members of the House.
The Attending Physician confirmed that the pandemic health emergency was still in effect, which allows Pelosi to extend the remote options for committees and floor voting.
Democrats have said the move was made “out of an abundance of caution,” according to a report in The Hill.
Because the emergency health order is still technically in place, Pelosi has the power to extend the remote options. This allows House members to vote from their home districts using proxy-holders who are officially designated as such. These people are given specific instructions about how to vote from the House members.
And while committee proceedings will be allowed to continue on a virtual basis as well, it seems likely that they will soon morph into something resembling public school in the U.S. over the last year. Many House officials expect these committee proceedings to become “hybrid,” with some members choosing to stay at home and connect virtually while others are in person in D.C., as they’re supposed to be.
Many people are speculating that Pelosi and her cohorts are taking advantage of the situation by extending the remote options. Being able to vote from their home districts, for example, allows members to not have to fly back and forth to Washington, D.C., to attend committee meetings or to vote.
This is much more convenient to these House members, of course, even though they were elected to conduct business in person. It’s not a great look for the Democrats, especially as people are starting to return in droves to work throughout the country.
An opinion column in The Hill written by Don Wolfensberger made a very good point. He wrote of the extension:
“It might have some appeal to the more fiscally conservative citizens: think of all the taxpayer dollars being saved on roundtrip plane flights each week Congress is in session. I suspect, however, that most voters would like to know their representatives are actually earning their pay by being physically present in their committees and floor sessions in Washington.
“Isn’t the essence of deliberative democracy, after all, face-to-face deliberations between proponents and opponents of a particular bill or amendment?”
It sure is.
