If North Carolinians needed another reason to feel abandoned by Congressman Budd, a brutal new CNN analysis validates that he is in fact skipping out on his constituents, writing that he is “frequently absent from his day job: a member of the U.S. House.” The article notes that he has “missed more votes than all but three House members since January 2021 – and more than any lawmaker who will be on the ballot in next Tuesday’s elections.” A nonpartisan watchdog group called his poor attendance record “inexcusable” and argued it causes the public to “lose their voice in Washington and their trust in the system.”
CNN: Why key House members skip many votes
- As he has campaigned for a promotion to the Senate, Ted Budd has been frequently absent from his day job: A member of the U.S. House.
- The North Carolina Republican missed more votes than all but three House members since January 2021 – and more than any lawmaker who will be on the ballot in next Tuesday’s elections, according to an analysis by a nonpartisan watchdog group, the Moonlight Foundation. Budd missed 119 votes in this Congress, amounting to 13% of all votes over the last two years, most of which came this year as he has campaigned in North Carolina to fill the seat of the retiring Sen. Richard Burr.
- “While no one demands a perfect voting record, eroding public trust in the political system by not showing up to vote is inexcusable,” said Karen Goll, the executive director of the Moonlight
- Among the bills that Budd, for instance, missed include ones dealing with providing cybersecurity grants for schools, bolstering oversight on veterans programs, awarding the Congressional Gold Medal to the National Hockey League’s first Black player and providing protections for whistleblowers.
- “Voting is a sacred bond between lawmakers and their constituents,” Goll said. “All too often lawmakers violate this trust by not voting in Congress, causing millions of Americans to lose their voice in Washington and lose trust in the system.”
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