President Trump supports the idea that his new mother can vote on behalf of him.
A new parent in Congress led the charges in an effort to allow proxy votes, denying a contract between House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FLA), who was watered down by the proposal.
The resolution introduced by Rep. Brittany Petterson (D-Colo.) will vote for new parents of both sexes for 12 weeks, staying home with the newborn and representing them.
Amidst abrupt opposition from Johnson and the Republican leaders, Luna has filed accusations to force a vote on the bill through a discharge petition, and, along with Johnson’s wish, received enough signatures to bring it to the floor.
Petterson said he was “very grateful” to Luna for defending the measure, but the compromise “doesn’t address the barriers we fought so hard to overcome.”
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Jacobs said: “From the beginning, our common goal was to support new parents and be able to do their job and vote on behalf of their constituents, while caring for themselves and their families.
“Unfortunately, this ‘deal’ falls short of that goal, sinking new parents, perpetuating the current situation and notion that Congress is effective and outdated. ”
Petterson criticized Johnson for going “historic length” to prevent voting for discharge petitions despite the supporters following the proper procedures.
Last week, the issue led to the split Republican Conference and early postponement of the week’s session.
On April 1, Johnson and the House Republican leaders sought to reject the vote requested by Luna’s petition through a Congressional move to file a petition through a vote on unrelated rules related to the election integrity bill.
Following that vote, Johnson told reporters that he was “very disappointed” by the outcome. Lawmakers were sent home with the rest of the week cancelled sessions.
In a post on X, Luna denounced leadership in the “political game” on Trump’s agenda.
Due to this issue, Luna left the Free Caucus of the House. This is a powerful conservative aspect of the home GOP.
Even the compromised deals stemmed mainly from President Donald Trump’s voice of support for Luna’s proposal.
“I like the idea,” Trump told reporters in Air Force 1 on April 4.
The leader said the original measures were unconstitutional under Article 5 of the Constitution.
In a lengthy statement posted to X on April 2, Johnson supported his support for his family by citing his own extended family, saying allowing new parents to vote on behalf of a slippery slope.
“Allowing proxy voting in one category of members opens the door for many others and ultimately leads to remote voting that will harm the management of deliberative bodies and reduce the important role of the legislative department,” Johnson writes.
The controversy was frequently compared to the proxy voting rules permitted by former House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif) from the beginning of the Republican pandemic until Republicans regained their majority in 2023.
Back then, Republicans argued that the Constitution needed a direct vote, and many felt that changing that attitude on the issue was hypocritical.
