Trump deals blow to Mike Johnson in fight over House floor
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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.
