Dem Rep Said She Could Not Attend House Vote Due to COVID-19, But Was in France on Planned Vacation

Iowa Democratic Rep. Cindy Axne was not physically present at the nation’s Capitol last month for a vote on the Inflation Reduction Act, but voted by proxy as she vacationed with her family in Europe.

At the time of the vote, which took place on Aug. 12, Axne, who currently represents Iowa’s Third Congressional District, was allegedly in France, according to an image shared to Instagram by her son. The photo was apparently removed from Instagram after Fox News Digital inquired about the trip.

The photograph, shared to Instagram Aug. 11 from her son’s account, was captioned “France Pt. 1” and shows Axne standing alongside her husband and son.

In an August 12 letter to Cheryl Johnson, the clerk for the House of Representatives, Axne said she was “unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency” and granted the authority to cast her vote by proxy to Rep. Jennifer Wexton, D-Va.

Following the measure’s passage in the House, a tweet from Axne’s Twitter account read: “PASSED! I just voted YES on the #InflationReductionAct – a historic bill to lower health care costs, cut prescription drug prices, lower the cost of energy, and much more.”

Proxy voting was instituted amid the COVID-19 pandemic, according to the resolution establishing the process, to avoid interpersonal contact among members. To vote by proxy, a House member must submit a letter that states they are “unable to physically attend proceedings in the House Chamber due to the ongoing public health emergency” and designate someone to vote for them.

Axne — despite her inability to physically appear in the House chamber for a vote on the measure — has repeatedly defended the Inflation Reduction Act, which includes an expansion of the Internal Revenue Service (IRS).

“We’re investing in the IRS because right now, $160 billion in taxes go unearned into our country’s coffers that would help all of you with our schools, and with our roads, and with our healthcare, and with all of the important things this country needs because we don’t have enough IRS auditors to address the issues that we’re facing,” Axne said at an August event put on by the Des Moines Register.

As it relates to inflation, Axne, who has served in the House since 2019, has also pushed back on claims from Republicans that President Biden’s student debt handout, which is projected to cost an estimated $500 billion, will increase inflation and taxes.

Pointing to analysis from Wall Street, Axne said late last month that the president’s plan is “something that will not impact inflation negatively” and “bring down inflation.”

Axne will attempt to retain her seat in November as she seeks to come out on top of an election challenge from Iowa state Sen. Zach Nunn, the Republican nominee to represent the state’s Third District in Congress.

This is an excerpt from Fox News.