Proxy voting ended: McCarthy requires Congress to 'show up to work if they want their vote to count'

House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) announced on Thursday that members of Congress are no longer allowed to cast proxy votes and must instead vote in person.

The practice of voting by proxy was established by former Speaker of the House Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) in May 2020 to allow lawmakers to observe recommended COVID protocol. Pelosi then extended the policy several times.

The policy allowed lawmakers to avoid in-person voting and instead cast their decision by letter, where another member of Congress announced the vote on their behalf.

On Thursday, McCarthy shared on Twitter, "No more proxy voting. Effective immediately, Members of Congress have to show up to work if they want their vote to count."

While members from both sides of the aisle have taken advantage of the proxy voting policy, some Republicans have argued that it could lead to lawmakers neglecting their duties.

In 2020, McCarthy filed a lawsuit against former Speaker Pelosi challenging the proxy voting policy, which the Supreme Court ultimately appealed. Despite 160 Republicans signing the lawsuit, by December 2021, 80% of all House members had voted by proxy, according to a Brookings Institute study.

While the policy was initially implemented for health reasons, House members used the "public health emergency" policy to attend other events and functions that conflicted with their schedule, Fox News Digital reported.

When voting on the $1.7 trillion omnibus in December, fewer than 50% of lawmakers cast their vote in-person — 134 Democrats and 92 Republicans voted by proxy.

At the time, Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas) stated, "I would note that this $1.7 trillion legislation is moving off the floor without a physical quorum present."

"There were 218 votes cast by proxy on the rule and 226 votes cast by proxy on the final passage," he added.

In December, McCarthy promised to end the policy once Republicans took control of the House in the new year.

"The Senate has managed to maintain in-person Floor voting for the entirety of the past two years — with a much older population and a 50-50 makeup, no less," McCarthy stated. "From the get-go, we warned that proxy voting would be misused as a means of convenience rather than as a precaution for health — and it has been, by members of both parties."