Congress is facing return-to-work dilemmas similar to the private sector, a hearing for the pandemic-induced proxy voting rule displayed Thursday.

As many workers return to the office this month, the House Committee on Rules is weighing returning to pre-pandemic voting and hearing rules. It invited lawmakers to share their views on the controversial rule allowing members to have another cast votes in their absence and remotely participate in committee hearings.

The rules were put in place in 2020 to account for absences related to the COVID-19 pandemic, and Republicans have generally opposed their continued use, while Democrats are generally in favor of expanding them.

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Committee Chairman Jim McGovern, a Massachusetts Democrat, opened the meeting by weighing both the advantages of the traditional in-person conduct of Congress as well as the new remote options technology provides.

“I think there’s value to that to what America has changed in Congress, but at the moment, we didn’t get everything perfect,” he said, adding, “They helped Congress safely operate through the public health emergency, and what we’ve learned can instruct the work of this institution moving forward. But you know, I’ve always said that Congress works best when we get to know each other in person, face to face.”

Ranking member Tom Cole, an Oklahoma Republican, positioned himself firmly against the current proxy voting rules.

“Sadly, as I feared, the introduction of proxy voting on the floor and remote committee procedures have changed the nature of the institution — and not for the better,” he said. “I believe that both the proxy voting and remote meeting procedures have long since outlived their usefulness, [and] their present form will undoubtedly lead to significant long-term damage to the culture of this body and to our ability to continue functioning.”

Dozens of members testified for and against the rules, with many Republicans advocating a return to traditional rules that the House has adhered to for its entire history. They cited the necessity of in-person collaboration and the possibility of abuse, as in the case of Democratic Rep. Greg Stanton of Arizona joining a committee call from his boat, which was disavowed by Democrats as well. Cole noted that “magically, proxy voting doubles on Fridays.”

“Members might vote by proxy or participate in the duties of our elected office by video link from vacation homes, fishing boats, and occasionally in the wee hours of the morning, maybe from the comfort of their own bed,” said Illinois Republican Rep. Rodney Davis, who testified and answered questions for several hours. “How dare we be the members that decide not to show up at the Capitol for the American people. … Yet over the last two years, the speaker and the outgoing majority have quite literally allowed representatives to phone it in.”

Democrats favored keeping the rules as a better reflection of the change in technology that now makes remote participation possible. They also said the rules make balancing their duties to constituents and the demands of personal life easier.

“It’s ironic that one of the biggest leaps forward that this institution has taken to be more family-friendly was actually caused by a global pandemic,” said Rep. Linda Sanchez, a California Democrat. “Too often that obligation means we as parents have to choose between taking care of our children when they are sick or hurt or making sure that our constituents’ voices are heard.”

Sanchez relayed how she had to disrupt her doctor-ordered bed rest two weeks after delivering her son via cesarean section to attend a vote in 2009. Proxy voting, she said, would have allowed her to recover properly from childbirth.

Another Republican argument during the six-hour discussion was that the lack of in-person socialization between colleagues across the aisle has led to the sharp polarization in politics, a notion Democrats dismissed.

“Give me a break,” McGovern scoffed.

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Democrats contend that remote committee proceedings are a greener, more cost-effective, and more equitable way to allow people to testify who normally wouldn’t have the opportunity.

Democratic Rep. Veronica Escobar of Texas proposed a compromise. While she said there should be restrictions on proxy voting, she advocated allowing each member of Congress 20 or so proxy vote days a year so they could attend to other major matters.

“I don’t think it needs to be an either/or proposition at all. … I think we can approach this in a practical way,” Escobar said.

In January, the Supreme Court rejected a lawsuit filed by congressional Republicans arguing that proxy voting was unconstitutional.

Original Location: Congress debates COVID proxy voting for lawmakers as country returns to work

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