House Speaker Nancy Pelosi said a new rule allowing proxy voting “is fully consistent with the Constitution,” and she dismissed a new GOP lawsuit aimed at blocking it.
“House Republicans’ sad stunt shows that their only focus is to delay and obstruct urgently-needed action to meet the needs of American workers and families during the coronavirus crisis,” the California Democrat said in a statement.
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The House meets Wednesday to begin consideration of several bills and will hold a vote series that will allow proxy voting on the House floor for the first time in the history of the body.
The rule allows a lawmaker present on the floor of the House to vote for up to 10 members.
House Republicans announced they will file the lawsuit Tuesday in U.S. District Court to challenge both the proxy voting and another rule allowing those voting by proxy to be counted toward a quorum. Republicans say both changes violate the Constitution.
House Democrats control the majority and passed the rule change without any GOP support.
So far, more than 50 House Democrats have announced plans to vote by proxy beginning Wednesday, citing the coronavirus pandemic.
“The House’s position that remote voting by proxy during a pandemic is fully consistent with the Constitution is supported by expert legal analyses,” Pelosi said. “Further, the Supreme Court made clear over a century ago that the Constitution empowers each chamber of Congress to set its own procedural rules.”
