Alaska Rep. Mary Peltola to skip House votes in DC to help family prep fish for winter

Alaska Democratic congresswoman Mary Peltola will be absent from Congress this week, opting instead to fly back home and help her family prepare fish for the long winter ahead. She is set to miss a number of votes but noted that she will issue statements indicating how she would have voted.

Peltola, the first representative of Alaska to be born there, lives in the remote community of Bethel. Located in the western part of the state, it is closer to Tokyo, Japan than Washington, DC.

"This week, Representative Peltola will be in the state putting up fish with family to fill freezers for the winter," her office said in a statement, per the Hill. "Mary's family—as well as her late husband's family—relies in part on her for subsistence duties." The statement noted that Peltola "will submit publicly available statements to the Congressional record reflecting how she would have voted if present."

"There's nothing quite like being out on the water," she wrote in a post on Monday. "Part of the reason I'm so adamant about pro-fish policies is because I know how integral being able to count on Alaska fisheries has been and continues to be for all Alaskans. Together, we will preserve our fisheries, not just for the communities that rely on them today, but for future generations to experience and make memories through."

The self-described "pro-fish" politician ran her campaign in large part on the promise of ensuring the industry and those who make a living by being a part of it can thrive. Peltola has seven children, and has had to do more to provide for them since her husband passed away in a plane accident last September in Alaska.