House Republicans torpedo Johnson effort to block proxy voting for new parents
by Mychael Schnell and Emily Brooks -
Rep. Anna Luna (R-Fla.)
Greg Nash
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) is seen during a ceremonial photo op with Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) following the first day of the 119th session of Congress at the Capitol, in Washington, D.C., on Jan. 3, 2025.
A group of House Republicans rebelled against GOP leaders on Tuesday over their effort to block a vote on allowing proxy voting for new parents — thwarting other party priorities in the process and dealing an embarrassing blow to Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.).
The revolt escalates the battle over proxy voting into a full-blown legislative war as Republicans grapple with arguments over constitutionality, supporting families, and how much power GOP leaders have over the House floor in the historically slim majority.
Nine Republicans — led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) — joined with all Democrats in voting against the procedural rule, enough opposition for it to fall short in a 206-222 vote. The failed vote allows Luna to force action on her bill, but prevents the chamber from debating and voting on two unrelated measures, bringing key legislative business to a standstill.
Those measures would limit the power of federal judges and require proof of citizenship to vote.
Luna earlier on Tuesday made a privileged motion — enabled by her discharge petition — to bring a vote on the proxy voting for new parents matter. Without being able to thwart it, leadership will have to take action on the matter within two legislative days.
Tuesday’s failed vote is a victory for Luna, who for weeks has been battling with Johnson over her push to allow proxy voting for new parents. The Florida Republican successfully executed a discharge petition, garnering the necessary 218 signatures — including 11 from Republicans — to force a vote on Rep. Brittney Petersen’s (D-Colo.) resolution to allow members who give birth or lawmakers whose spouses give birth to have another member vote for them for 12 weeks.
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Since then, GOP leadership — led by Johnson — has been working to block the resolution from coming to the floor, arguing that proxy voting is unconstitutional and warning that the effort could be a “slippery slope” toward expanding the practice for other groups.
Proxy voting was widely used by both parties when it was implemented under Democratic leadership during the COVID-19 pandemic, but it drew widespread Republican criticism and unsuccessful legal challenges.
GOP leaders at first tried to get the Republicans who signed the discharge petition to change their minds — and succeeded in convincing Reps. Rich McCormick (R-Ga.) and Dan Meuser (R-Pa.) to back off their support.
But hardline members of the House Freedom Caucus — Luna’s one-time allies — pushed for Johnson to take a more aggressive stance in trying to stop a vote on the push.
Johnson took that step on Tuesday, when the leadership-controlled House Rules Committee advanced a rule that included language that would essentially “turn off” privilege, blocking Luna or her allies from forcing action on the proxy voting legislation, or any similar legislation in the future. By including that language and other GOP priorities in a single rule, Johnson dared Republicans to vote against Republican — and Trump — priorities.
Luna railed against the move. She said that attaching it to a measure that would also tee up consideration of the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act — which would require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote — was designed to make her and her Republican allies look like they were voting against voter integrity efforts.
And in an act of defiance, Luna and her allies tanked that effort.
Republican “no” votes included Reps. Nick LaLota (N.Y.), Kevin Kiley (Calif.), Tim Burchett (Tenn.), Jeff Van Drew (N.J.), Max Miller (Ohio), Greg Steube (Fla.), Mike Lawler (N.Y.) and Ryan Mackenzie (Pa.).
“Rep. Luna followed the rules and deserves a vote on the merits of her proposal,” LaLota, who did not sign the discharge petition, said in a statement. “Members who oppose her proposal should negotiate with her to amend it or persuade 218 members to vote no, rather than deny her a vote on the merits. Accordingly, I’ll vote no on the rule that quashes her petition.”
Tuesday’s failed vote marks the latest twist in the parental proxy voting saga, which has been a topic of debate on Capitol Hill for weeks. The battle escalated on Monday when Luna announced that she was leaving the House Freedom Caucus after some of its members worked with leadership to try and thwart her proxy voting effort.
“I cannot remain in a group that would smear me as being against election integrity and extort the Speaker to derail a just cause,” Luna said in a letter to House Republicans. “This undermines our integrity and the future of this body. Supporting female representation and new families is not a fringe issue—it is a cornerstone of a vibrant, representative Congress.”
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