Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) says she and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) are discussing potential paths out of the conflict over proxy voting for brand spanking new dad and mom that has introduced the Home to a halt, threatening to derail President Trump’s legislative agenda at a important time.
Luna stated on X that Johnson known as her after Trump weighed in on the matter on Thursday, saying that he appreciated the thought of proxy voting for brand spanking new mothers.
“We discussed limiting the vote to just new moms who cannot physically travel in event of emergency etc. This is smart,” Luna stated within the publish.
Johnson, in the meantime, initially reiterated his opposition to proxy voting for brand spanking new dad and mom — which he argues is unconstitutional and would result in a slippery slope of distant voting for different causes — in wake of Trump’s feedback, sharing a bit from the conservative Washington Examiner that stated proxy voting for mothers “endangers the entire GOP agenda.” Johnson added: “Yep.”
However in a while Thursday, the Speaker deleted that publish.
Even when Johnson and Luna can attain an settlement, the matter just isn’t so simple as Johnson relenting to Luna.
Different Republicans have threatened to vote towards procedural guidelines teeing up different priorities till Luna’s proxy voting push is squashed, in keeping with Johnson. The Speaker on Wednesday stated he was taking a look at different methods to help new mothers within the Capitol.
The matter is such a sticky scenario that lawmakers have introduced Trump into the arcane disputes over proxy voting, constitutionality and procedural guidelines — with Luna telling NewsNation on Wednesday that she spoke to the president concerning the matter.
Trump then informed reporters on Air Drive One on Thursday that he didn’t know why the difficulty was controversial.
“I’m gonna let the Speaker make the decision, but I like the idea of being able to — if you’re having a baby, I think you should be able to call in and vote. I’m in favor of that,” Trump stated.
Johnson has been scrambling to interrupt an deadlock over the push for proxy voting, after Luna led a discharge petition with greater than 200 Democrats and 11 different Republicans to pressure a vote on Rep. Brittany Pettersen’s (D-Colo.) decision to permit members who give start or lawmakers whose spouses give start to have one other member vote for them for 12 weeks.
GOP leaders tried to close down that transfer — and any future strikes to convey up comparable proposals — in a procedural vote earlier this week. However Luna and eight different Republicans — a few of whom had been outraged on the course of management is utilizing, others who help the underlying proxy voting for brand spanking new dad and mom push — joined with Democrats to sink a usually procedural vote that included Johnson’s try and kill the discharge petition.
Because of this, the Home ground is at a standstill. The transfer additionally blocked motion on a pro-Trump priorities on limiting the ability of federal judges, and to require proof of citizenship to vote. In response, Home GOP management canceled votes for the remainder of the week.
The strain is on for Johnson and people who need to shut down the discharge petition. If leaders do nothing, they should convey up a vote on proxy voting for brand spanking new dad and mom as-is.
And if members of the Home Freedom Caucus against proxy voting maintain up ground motion in protest of the difficulty, that would throw a wrench into plans to vote on a compromise finances decision teeing up Trump’s “one big beautiful bill” that outlines his bold legislative agenda on taxes, vitality coverage, border funding, and extra.
The Home returns for votes on Monday night.
