House Democrats are expected to send their sweeping, party-line energy, healthcare, and tax legislation to President Joe Biden’s desk on Friday. While the party is anticipating scoring a substantial legislative win ahead of the midterm elections, up to a third of the Democratic caucus is expected to cast their vote for the $740 billion budget reconciliation bill via proxy on Friday.
The upper chamber passed the measure in a party-line vote on Sunday after Senate Majority Leader Chuck Schumer (D-NY) and centrist Sen. Joe Manchin (D-WV) unexpectedly struck a deal late last month. House Democratic leadership vowed to bring the bill up swiftly, announcing plans to hold a previously unscheduled session after locking up enough support within the caucus to ensure its success on the floor.
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With the House previously scheduled to be out of Washington for August recess, a sizable number of members are opting against flying back to the Capitol to cast their votes remotely on the monumental bill. Forty-six lawmakers filed proxy letters this week, with roughly 150 active proxy requests in place with a substantial number planning to continue with their previously scheduled events in their districts.
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Republican lawmakers have railed against the Inflation Reduction Act of 2022, arguing that it is counterproductive to combating the problem, and have vowed to do away with the practice of proxy voting if the GOP takes the majority next fall. But a sizable portion of the GOP conference is also expected to utilize the mechanism, with 61 Republicans filing to vote remotely on Friday. Eighty-three voting Democratic members are listed as having active requests.
While the practice of proxy voting has been a point of contention between the parties, Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) alerted members that the practice would continue to be made available through Sept. 26.
Matthew Wilson contributed to this report.
