Nancy Pelosi extends proxy voting until end of March

Congress put in place proxy voting as a precautionary measure during the COVID-19 pandemic. House Speaker Nancy Pelosi placed an extension of proxy voting that will last until the end of March.

Pelosi told colleagues Thursday last week that voting by proxy in the House would be extended until March 30. The measure was set to expire over the weekend under a previous extension that Pelosi placed. The House Speaker cited a letter by the House Sergeant-at-Arms saying that in consultation with the Office of the Attending Physician that the public health emergency because of COVID-19 “remains in effect.”

Under the rules that were adopted by Democrats in 2020, proxy voting is only allowed for 45 days at a time unless the House Speaker announces an extension. The extension would require a confirmation from the House Sergeant-at-Arms and the Capitol physician that there is still a public health emergency due to the coronavirus.

The measure was challenged by House Republicans, with House Minority Leader Kevin McCarthy claiming in his lawsuit against Pelosi that proxy voting is unconstitutional. The lower courts rejected the suit, and the Supreme Court declined to hear an appeal from McCarthy.

Following the dismissal by the Supreme Court, a spokesman for McCarthy said that should the Republicans regain the House majority in the upcoming midterm elections, they will eliminate proxy voting.

In other related news, Pelosi responded to the comments of Progressive Rep. Cori Bush, who said she will continue using the “Defund the Police” slogan that was popularized during the widespread Black Lives Matter protests in 2020. The slogan drew a rift amongst Democrats, with those who have opposed the notion citing it as a reason for the party’s losses in the 2020 elections.

Pelosi said that “defund the police” is not the official policy of the Democratic Party. However, Pelosi pointed out that public safety is a priority in the party, even citing the Democrat-led Justice in Policing Act bill. The legislation would overhaul qualified immunity for police officers, bar chokeholds federally, prohibit no-knock warrants in federal drug cases, and outlaw racial profiling.

The bill would also put up a national registry of police misconduct that would be managed by the DOJ.