Yes, you read that correctly. Since May 15^th of 2020, scores of House Democrats have used proxy voting as a get-out-of-work-free card. They’ve voted from their couches, while on their boats, and even while the House was in session and they couldn’t be bothered to show up. Since when did showing up for work become too much to bear for House Democrats? Have they become too averse to work?

For some historical context, Congress has never resorted to proxy voting in its history. Not when the Capitol was burned to the ground in the War of 1812. Not during the Civil War. Not during the Spanish flu outbreak in 1918. Not even after the horrific 9/11 terrorist attacks. The clockwork of the Republic had always carried on in person.

Since the majority has refused to do away with proxy voting and resume full, in-person proceedings, Republicans have sued Nancy Pelosi to strike down proxy voting in its entirety. In our petition before the Supreme Court, led by Leader McCarthy, the following two questions are asked:

• Does the Speech and Debate Clause foreclose judicial review of the constitutionality of the proxy voting resolution in this action against the Speaker, the Clerk, and the Sergeant-at-Arms?
  
• Is the proxy voting resolution unconstitutional?

Consider what happened on Monday when the House voted to establish a quorum – the minimum number of people necessary to conduct legislative business – and over 80 House Democrats voted “present” by proxy. Were they truly present in Washington or even in the House chamber? No, they were not. When Republicans regain control of the House, proxy voting will be snuffed out entirely. I have never cast a proxy vote during my time in Congress, and you can rest assured that I will always be conducting the business of the people in person.

Anything less is irresponsible.

National Testing Shortage

On Monday, the Carolina Journal featured my latest op-ed on how President Biden’s national testing strategy has become an abysmal failure. Two weeks ago, President Biden proclaimed that his COVID-19 national testing failure was, in fact, not one. On January 3rd, he did a 180-degree pivot on a call with the National Governors Association by saying, “If we had known, we would have gone harder, quicker if we could have.” That statement should earn him a handful of Pinocchio’s by the Washington Post. What the administration has done to date is egregious, and when Republicans regain control in Washington, we won’t let these missteps be pushed under the rug and forgotten.

To read my op-ed, click here.

New Scam Alert

Do you search online for coupons from popular stores you shop at? If so, you could encounter scams that target your personal information and hard-earned money. Fake coupon scams have been around for some time, but it’s important that you stay up to date on how to avoid them. An example of a common coupon scam would be fake services that require you to pay a monthly fee to receive digital or paper coupons in the mail. While there are legitimate online subscription services to use, scammers have created ads and websites with fake deals that are too good to be true. After inputting their personal information on these websites, many consumers have found that their personal information has been compromised.

To find out more about these types of scams, click here to read a detailed overview from the Better Business Bureau.

Quote of The Week

“Work is the grand cure for all the maladies and miseries that ever beset mankind – honest work, which you intend getting done.”

- Thomas Carlyle

Have a blessed weekend,