House Cancels Votes as GOP Sparks Proxy Voting Showdown for Lawmaker Parents

A contentious debate within House Republicans regarding a proposed rule change allowing new parents in Congress to vote remotely has halted legislative progress. This disagreement culminated in lawmakers’ failure to advance a procedural measure necessary to set this week’s voting schedule.

The setback represents a significant blow for House Speaker Mike Johnson, as nine Republican lawmakers, led by Florida’s Anna Paulina Luna, declined to support the rules package. This package included several key pieces of legislation aligned with former President Donald Trump’s agenda.

The conflict stemmed from Luna’s push for a discharge petition permitting new parents to vote by proxy for 12 weeks following the birth of their children. The rules package proposed on Tuesday included a provision that would effectively render her measure moot, despite Luna already amassing the required support from both parties.

Luna, along with Republican colleagues such as Mike Lawler from New York and Tim Burchett of Tennessee, sided with Democrats to defeat the procedural measure. After the vote, Johnson expressed disappointment, noting the rarity of Republicans collaborating with Democrats on such a maneuver.

Johnson emphasized his view that proxy voting is unconstitutional and warned that accepting it could create significant policy challenges in the future. The failed rules package also meant that several Republican-led bills, including a controversial voter ID law, could not be voted on as initially planned.

Following the vote, Johnson declared that the House would not reconvene for voting for the remaining days of the week. Luna, previously a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus, expressed frustration with her party, especially over indications that they aimed to obstruct her proxy voting proposal. She ultimately resigned from the caucus, citing a broken trust.

In her resignation, Luna claimed that some members of the Freedom Caucus attempted to misrepresent her proposal as an obstruction to Trump’s agenda by linking it to the voter ID bill and other legislation the House was set to vote on. She condemned the actions of her colleagues as a betrayal and a departure from their stated values.

Luna did thank Maryland’s Andy Harris, chair of the Freedom Caucus, for his demeanor during the discussions but expressed that she could not continue within a group that she felt was operating outside its guidelines.

Other Republicans who supported Luna’s stance provided their reasoning as well. Ohio Representative Max Miller, a new dad himself, articulated that voting in favor would undermine Luna’s petition, particularly since she had gathered signatures duly. “We are the pro-life, pro-family party,” he stated.

Tennessee’s Burchett, in a video message, suggested that the failure of the rules package might still enable changes to House rules regarding proxy voting. He reiterated his support for the concept, deeming it reasonable.

Luna collaborated on her proposal with Colorado’s Brittany Pettersen, a Democrat and fellow new parent. Pettersen expressed gratitude towards those who voted to uphold the proposed rules change, arguing that making Congress more accessible for new parents enhances the government’s reflection of the populace it serves.

The ramifications of the Republicans’ unsuccessful attempt to pass this week’s rules package extend beyond Luna’s proposal. It jeopardizes the chances of advancing significant legislation, including a bill by California Representative Darrell Issa targeting federal court injunctions, which was scheduled for a vote.