ABSENT

NY Rep Used COVID Loophole to Party at Issa Rae’s Wedding Instead of Voting

Citing the “ongoing public health emergency,” Mondaire Jones got a proxy to vote for him on a host of bills in D.C.

Rather than being in D.C. representing the people of New York’s Hudson Valley during one week in 2021, Democratic Rep. Mondaire Jones opted to attend actress Issa Rae’s wedding in France. But through a COVID rule, his constituents didn’t lose out on a vote. Instead, citing the “ongoing public health emergency,” another rep voted in his place. He missed out on votes like those on a bill to ban toxic carcinogens in New York’s drinking water, and annual budgets for the federal health, labor and education departments. A spokesperson for Jones was quick to hit back at the New York Post: “It’s hard to tell what The Post is more offended by, Mondaire Jones voting against Republicans multiple times or Mondaire Jones attending the wedding of his close friend, and absolute icon, Issa Rae. I know it makes the Post feel ‘Insecure,’ but Rep. Jones has no apologies for his votes against the GOP or for being with his good friend during the most important week of her life.”