Washington, D.C. – May 15, 2020, U.S. Rep. Randy Weber (R-TX) released the following statement on H.Res. 965 and H.R. 6800:
"Americans are suffering, and instead of reopening our economy and getting our citizens relief, House Democrats are pandering to their most liberal wing and using America’s calamities to promote their radical agenda. Today, Democrats put politics ahead of the American people by exploiting a global crisis with two partisan bills that defy constitutional precedent, while radically altering the framework of our nation—and not for the better.
"In a startling rebuke to constitutional precedent, a hastily hatched rule change, H.Res. 965, authorizes remote voting by proxy. This means that a Member’s vote, which is ultimately your vote, can be transferred to a different Member, someone not elected by the constituents of that district, to cast a vote on their behalf. Members of Congress are elected to give their constituents a voice. Handing your vote to a member of Congress elected by another constituency is not what the framers of our Constitution intended when they spoke of “meeting” (Art. I, Sec. 4, Cl. 2), “assembling” (Art. I, Sec. 3, Cl. 2), and “attendance” (Art. I, Sec. 5, Cl. 1) in describing how Congress would conduct its business. All Americans agree that Congress needs to get back to work. But jamming through a partisan rule change that may have significant constitutional repercussions—when there is already a bipartisan task force tackling the best way for Congress to return to work safely—does nothing to help the American people. If anything, H.Res. 965 violates the unspoken compact between members of Congress and the people they were elected to represent. By handing over our votes, we are denying our constituents the right to hold us accountable for job we were elected to do. Let me be clear, I oppose this rule change. I am honored by the trust given to me and will not transfer that trust, or the vote of Texas’s 14th District, to anyone else.
"I am very worried that the rule change may cost us constitutionally. But the more expensive vote (monetarily) comes next. H.R. 6800, the Health and Economic Recovery Omnibus Emergency Solutions (HEROES) Act, is nothing more than a partisan messaging bill aimed to appease the radical wing of the Democrat party. Instead of helping our hurting economy, this bill is full of unrelated political ploys that threaten election laws, bail out mismanaged state pensions, and increase state tax deductions for millionaires and billionaires. Exploiting this health crisis to expand Washington-knows-best federal control over our lives is an unconscionable subjugation of the American people. This “Pelosi Socialist Wish List” is estimated to cost $3 trillion – that’s $3 TRILLION dollars – the most expensive bill EVER passed by the United States House of Representatives. I won’t support it.
"Instead, we should focus on incentivizing employers to rehire, removing small business regulatory barriers for job creation, and returning the critical supply chain to the US from China.
"America just wants—and needs—to get back to work!"
