Trump deals blow to Mike Johnson in fight over House floor
Add Axios as your preferred source to
see more of our stories on Google.
President Trump and House Speaker Mike Johnson shake hands ahead of Trump's speech to a joint session of Congress at the U.S. Capitol on March 4. Photo: Tom Williams/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
President Trump threw his weight behind Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) in her fight with House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) over proxy voting that has paralyzed the House floor.
Why it matters: His comments will likely further embolden Luna and make it even more difficult for Johnson to defang her efforts to force a vote on the issue.
What he's saying: "I don't know why it's controversial," Trump said Thursday of Luna's proposal to let House members vote by proxy for three months after the birth of their child.
- Trump told reporters on Air Force One that he will "let the speaker make the decision," but added, "I like the idea. … I'm in favor of that."
- "You're having a baby, you should be able to call in and vote," he said, according to the Associated Press.
- Johnson and Trump spoke by phone after the president made his comments on Air Force One, Punchbowl News reported.
What happened: Luna succeeded last month in obtaining the 218 discharge petition signatures necessary to bypass Johnson and force a vote.
- But Johnson, a bitter foe of proxy voting in all forms, attached a motion killing the vote to unrelated GOP legislation on non-citizen voting in an attempt to pressure all Republicans into siding with him.
- After his maneuver fell short Tuesday, Johnson scrapped House votes for the rest of the week and sent lawmakers home.
What we're hearing: Trump and Luna have spoken by phone about her discharge petition, according to a lawmaker familiar with the discussion.
- Luna said last week she didn't want to burden Trump with the issue while he was handling sensitive foreign policy matters, adding that "these should be internal discussions."
- But she also noted that Trump's daughter Ivanka has championed maternity leave for federal workers, arguing her proposal is "well in line with the administration."
The other side: Johnson said Wednesday in a post on X that he "simply cannot support the change" Luna is proposing, which he believes violates the Constitution.
- Johnson signaled he would continue to try to kill Luna's discharge petition rather than give it an up-or-down vote on the floor — in which it would likely succeed.
- He said he is "actively working on every possible accommodation to make Congressional service simpler for young mothers."
Between the lines: Trump's support for the substance of Luna's proposal could grow the anti-Johnson coalition, further complicating the speaker's efforts to regain control of the House floor.
- Johnson's effort to block Luna from bringing her bill to the floor failed after eight Republicans broke with the party and sided with her.
- Several Republicans expressed discontent with Johnson's attempts to effectively kill rank-and-file members' one tool for bypassing leadership on legislation that a majority of the House supports.
