President Donald Trump on Thursday made a notable break with House Speaker Mike Johnson, backing Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s push to allow proxy voting for new parents in Congress.
“I don’t know why it’s controversial,” the Republican president told reporters aboard Air Force One. “If you’re having a baby, I think you should be able to call in and vote. I’m in favor of that.”
Johnson went to extraordinary lengths to prevent a vote on the bill, which Luna, a member of his own caucus, sponsored. His first effort to kill Luna’s discharge petition failed when Luna and eight Republican men joined Democrats to sink the obscure rule change.
Luna previously pushed legislation to change Congress’ rules on proxy voting, gaining support from a group that included far-right conservatives like herself and former Florida Rep. Matt Gaetz and progressive Democratic Rep. Rashida Tlaib of Michigan.
The practice of proxy voting — designating a colleague to cast votes on the floor on one’s behalf — became a partisan flashpoint after COVID-19 hit. Then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi authorized the practice, which had been banned for over 20 years, to give flexibility during the pandemic, but the practice drew criticism when it continued long after masking and other measures were dropped. Republicans argued Pelosi largely wielded it as a tool to protect her slim majority, and prohibited it when they took control of the House.
Luna herself joined those criticisms but has since argued for a narrow carveout for new moms. The congresswoman, who in 2023 was only the 12th incumbent member of Congress to ever give birth, suffered from the potentially fatal condition of pre-eclampsia and was then temporarily prohibited from traveling after she developed mastitis — curtailing her ability to vote.
But Johnson in particular has railed against proxy voting, arguing it’s a “tool of the minority,” and has attempted to attach the bill to a budget resolution that was meant to advance Trump’s agenda — basically daring his partymen to vote against it. Trump’s endorsement of the effort Thursday, however, could scuttle that effort.
For his part, the president praised Luna and proxy voting, although he also said he would “let the Speaker make the decision.”
“I understand some people aren’t [in favor],” he said. “I’m not involved in the issue.”
