Over the past 100 votes taken in the U.S. House of Representatives, Alaska often has had no one present to represent them. Alaska has been unrepresented for 40 of the last 100 votes taken, as Rep. Mary Peltola has gone missing. She was absent for votes on everything from protecting America from foreign adversaries to finding Attorney General Merrick Garland in contempt of Congress.
Last week she said she would be gone all week to abide by a Yup’ik tradition of spending a whole week celebrating the life of her late husband on the one-year anniversary of his death. It was cultural. However, she was actually campaigning much of the week, according to her subsequent social media posts.
In July, she was not voting because cutting and smoking fish with her family — again, saying this is a cultural tradition that required her to be there to feed her family, which is made up of mostly able-bodied people. She gets $174,000 per year salary for being a member of Congress and all her travel is free.
Her congressional colleagues were voting on issues like the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility Act, which strengthens voting security. They voted on the Refrigerator Freedom Act, which places limits on the authority of the Department of Energy to enforce onerous energy standards for refrigerators, refrigerator-freezers, and freezers unless the standards are technologically feasible and economically justified.
She missed votes on the Department of Homeland Security’s “DHS Restrictions on Confucius Institutes and Chinese Entities of Concern Act.” She also missed other votes relating to China.
Her voting record this summer is nothing to write home about. It looks a lot like this:
Although Peltola told Alaskans she was using the week for cultural traditions, she posted numerous photos of herself on social media at fundraisers, including photos of fundraisers posted on Sept. 12, the exact one year anniversary of Gene Peltola Jr.’s death.
House Rule III, clause 1, “Voting” reads: “Every Member shall be present within the Hall of the House during its sitting, unless excused or necessarily prevented, and shall vote on each question put, unless having a direct personal or pecuniary interest in the event of such question.”
Statute (2 USC 5306) permits the chief administrative officer to deduct from members’ monthly salaries “for each day that [s]he has been absent from the House,” unless the member “assigns as the reason for such absence the sickness of himself or of some family member.” None of that seems to apply to Rep. Peltola, who just has not shown up to the office for 40% of the time the entire summer.
She was out shopping. You know, updating her Yup’ik-inspired wardrobe. She just wouldn’t look like an authentic Alaskan without the right earrings and parka.
She is not even Alaska Native. She is American Indian. I am American period and proud of it and want my country to remain safe and free.
You mean she’s masquerading as a fake Alaskan?
Next she’ll be claiming to be Black(foot)
American Indian? Where is your information to back this up? That is interesting.
Until you bring proof, she’s Yupik Eskimo.
How exactly is she not an Alaska Native? Her mother is Yupik and she was born in Alaska. I’d be interested to hear what you consider the criteria for claiming Alaska Native heritage.
She is still a flake no matter her ethnicity. 40% absenteeism from your post should equal FIRED.
And your reply has nothing to do with my post.
While “AWOL” over the summer for 40% of the time, I bet she took in 100% of her pay – benefits and contributions!!! For the rest of us commoners // peasants, we would be fired (unless of course we worked at the City, State or Feds).
Let’s show our heartfelt appreciation by “FIRING” Mary in November, send her back to where her heart and spirit truly lies, on the river bank in Western AK.
Ya can’t establish a voting “record” that can be used againat ya when the hold you have on your seat is tenuous.
At least when Obama in the US Senate, he’d would show up and vote “Present”………meaning he was there, not that he was giving us a gift or anything like he is now.
About the nicest thing you can say about Obama is that he was and is an empty suit.
The bright side:
She hurt the US 40% less.
It looks like she took a page from Matt Claman’s book.
Lazy as hell and dump as a rock! But, look, she’s done well on a high school education and has learned to scam her way from day to day like the rest of her colleagues–both the Red and the Blue.
That’s pretty cold going to parties and passing the hat on the 1 year anniversary of her husband’s death.
I disagree that ALL her flying around is FREE. Reality it is paid by everyone working and everyone one paying taxes. The truth is she is living on our dime and not doing her job….and she wants to keep her position but not do the duties she is paid for and receives full benefits for the job she wants to keep.
She has no business sense…. She is just dead weight.
The ads complaining about Nick being a businessman over looks that he supports himself ( not living on the sweat of tax payers) and understands that YOU HAVE TO DO THE JOB …..not just vacation and give out free beer!
We have radio ads playing non stop about how hard Mary Peltola works for Alaskans. I suppose it’s not her fault, when she got placed in office she didn’t think she’d actually have to do something.
Same goes for the constant annoying ScrewTube ads claiming Peltola “cares” about Alaskans and is responsible for creating millions of jobs for AK. Millions of jobs with OUR taxpayer dollars is more like it.
It’s hard to believe she has time for 18 holes of golf when she has an important election coming up. Who’s managing her campaign?
“…. and all her travel is free.” Correction: all her travel is paid for by us taxpayers.
Time to fish.
C’mon, Mary. If you have missed votng, step up and make it right for the people who trusted you.
MP should do the honourable thing and bow out. She is either incompetent or unwilling to fulfill her obligations and duties as a congressman. In her current capacity she is worse than worthless for the people of Alaska and a true grifter.
On the bright side, once we vote Peltola out, she will have plenty of time to attend to her cultural activities.
Many of the bills she missed voting on were so partisan and nonsensical that they are DOA in the Senate. Of course I would rather she was there and voting, but it really didn’t matter. I can’t miss picking berries in the fall either. Lying in the tundra refreshes my Alaskan spirit and sense of place more than political nonsense does.
Jon, non-sensical? What is non-sensical is how the Chi-Coms have bribed their way into our institutions and are robbing us blind. Perhaps you should educate yourself, if just a bit as to what the Confucius Institute really is.
Hey, wasn’t Joe Biden’s “think tank” at Penn fully funded by the Chi-Coms? Hmm, we shouldn’t worry much though since they only found several boxes of “Classified Information” there.
Mary votes in obedience to her Democrat handlers instructions, I’ll give her that, when bought she stays bought!
I agree that we need to give Mary lots of time to pick berries, like from January 5, 2024 until the end of her days , may they be long.
Guessing you weren’t lying in the tundra while taxpayers were paying you to work?
Peltola is just miserable.
I suppose she should lose 40% of her pay for those 3 months then!
She is way to busy making political commercials that seem to run 24/7.
She don’t need your stinking votes she just needs you to kiss the ring she has Lisa & rank choice voting kiss kiss kiss
So cute to represent only national democrats.
How is this not considered insubordination, how can you hold a job that you’re basicly refusing to do! These people should be required to do their dam job. It’s really Unbelievable how dis functional and arrogant these bastards are!!
She’s a flipping grifter, grab what you can and scoot.
Mary probably just didn’t want to miss her time at fish camp.