Hawaii congressman rarely reports to Washington, relies on proxy voting

A House Democrat from Hawaii has spent hardly any time in Washington over the past four months, casting only five votes in person while leveraging proxy voting to stay home in the islands, according to a new report.

Rep. Kai Kahele ran as someone who would be focused on the job and attacked the former holder of his seat, Tulsi Gabbard, for her political ambitions.

But since the new year, he’s been largely away from the U.S. Capitol, casting in-person votes in January and asking fellow members to cast 120 other votes on his behalf under pandemic rules authorized by House Democratic leaders, according to the Honolulu Civil Beat.

The news outlet reported that the congressman continues to work as a Hawaiian Airlines pilot and that his office didn’t make him available for an interview.

However, in a statement to Fox News, Mr. Kahele’s office said he flies for the airline only on occasion and abides by House caps on outside income.

The office said the congressman is rarely in Washington to avoid exposure to COVID-19.

“The congressman is concerned for the health and safety of the communities with whom he interacts,” the office told Fox. “He is also deeply concerned about the health and safety of members of his own family because he lives in a multi-generational home. Unfortunately, variants of COVID-19 continue to spread. Just last week members of leadership in the U.S. House and White House contracted the virus.”

“To limit his exposure to COVID-19 and the potential to spread the virus, our office has tried to reduce Rep. Kahele’s cross-country travel while ensuring he fulfills all of his responsibilities in Congress,” it said.

However, the Honolulu Civil Beat interviewed lobbyists and others who said the rate of proxy voting means the congressman misses key meetings and hearings and appears to be checked out, especially as Congress negotiates appropriations.

For more information, visit The Washington Times COVID-19 resource page.