Rep. Roy's statement on Democrats' wasteful infrastructure plan and unconstitutional proxy voting

Statement

On Thursday, following his trip to the southern border, Rep. Chip Roy (TX-21) issued a statement outlining his position on the Democrats' massive infrastructure package, and his refusal to proxy vote for its fundamental flaws and unconstitutional power grab:

Today, Democrats rammed a $715 billion partisan infrastructure package through the House. Democrats made zero attempts to cover the cost of this massive spending spree, opting instead to add to our $28 trillion in national debt. This bill authorizes billions for wasteful Green New Deal-style programs and marks the latest front in Democrats' ongoing war against the internal combustion engine. Democrats also had the gall to include $5.7 billion for 1,473 corrupt earmarks but once again turned a blind eye to the crisis at our southern border by refusing to provide a single cent to border wall infrastructure.

I was unable to vote "no" on this shameful package because I instead traveled to Texas with a group of my colleagues to call attention to the border crisis Democrats are working so hard to ignore. Unlike "Border Czar" Kamala Harris during her recent trip nearly 1,000 miles away from President Biden's border crisis, I met with law enforcement officers, local, state, and federal Representatives, and countless Texans that are bearing the brunt of this crisis. It is reprehensible the Biden Administration continues to abandon the fundamental duty of securing our nation's borders.

And unlike many of my colleagues, I refuse to cast an unconstitutional proxy vote. Proxy voting has become nothing more than a way for Members to evade their responsibility to vote on the House floor whilst avoiding accountability from their constituents for missing such votes. I refuse to participate in such a disgraceful process. I do, however, believe my constituents should have the ability to know how I would have voted had I been present, and for that reason, I have and will continue to place this information into the official record.

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