Trump spurs Republicans to negotiate House floor impasse
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Rep. Anna Paulina Luna steps out of House Speaker Mike Johnson's office a the U.S. Capitol on Dec. 20, 2024. Photo: Bill Clark/CQ-Roll Call, Inc via Getty Images
Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) may be closing in on a compromise in the proxy voting fight that has paralyzed the House floor.
Why it matters: The two were at an impasse until President Trump stormed his way into the conversation, siding with Luna that lawmakers who are new parents should be allowed to temporarily vote by proxy.
- Trump and Luna had spoken the day before, with Johnson quickly calling Trump on Thursday after his comments to reporters on Air Force One.
- Luna then said in a post on X that Johnson called her and that they "discussed limiting the vote to just new moms who cannot physically travel in event of emergency etc."
- Johnson that night also deleted an X post voicing concurrence with a Washington Times article entitled "Proxy voting scheme for congressional moms endangers the entire GOP agenda."
State of play: Johnson scrapped House votes for the rest of the week Tuesday after failing to block Luna from being able to force a vote on her proposal.
- After failing to cut a deal with Johnson — a staunch opponent of proxy voting — Luna had broadened her rule change from just moms to both moms and dads to entice Democrats to sign what is known as a discharge petition.
- The Florida Republican obtained the 218 petition signatures necessary to bypass Johnson and bring her rule change to the House floor for a vote.
- Johnson's motion to kill Luna's petition fell short when 8 Republicans broke ranks and against him, many raising objections to his tactics.
What we're hearing: Rep. Nick LaLota (R-N.Y.), one of the 8 who voted against Johnson's maneuver, signaled that he would be mollified by the compromise Luna floated.
- "New moms in Congress shouldn't have to choose between representing their constituents and caring for their newborns. Allowing a month or so of proxy voting strikes the right balance," he said in a statement to Axios.
- He said he is "proud to have bucked my party—and thousands of online Neanderthal trolls who think it's still 1790—to give power to the 218 Members who wanted a vote on this common-sense, pro-family measure led by Rep. Luna."
Yes, but: Members of the right-wing House Freedom Caucus are signaling they won't accept any form of proxy voting, putting Johnson in a bind.
- Rep. Chip Roy (R-Texas) said on social media that Luna's new compromise idea is "just as unconstitutional and wrong - as I know [Johnson] also believes."
- Johnson has previously said the Freedom Caucus has threatened to paralyze the House floor — just as Luna has done — if he allows any proxy voting rule change to slip through.
