Speaker at odds with voting mothers in House

On Tuesday, nine Republicans joined Democrats in support of a measure that would allow new parents and pregnant mothers to vote via proxy in Congress. Together, the members succeeded in derailing the House’s legislative agenda for the week to the frustration of House Speaker Mike Johnson, who disagrees with the proxy voting effort on procedural and political grounds.

The challenge to Johnson’s agenda happened during a routine vote on a rules package to set the week’s schedule and procedures. This usually sets the procedural parameters for the House votes, including which bills the chamber will consider, how much debate time will be allotted for those bills, and other guidelines. As part of this week’s plan, Johnson included a one-time provision that would have stopped a member-driven effort to bring the proxy voting resolution to the floor over the speaker’s objections. He needed 215 votes to approve the weekly plan, but it only got 206 “yes” votes.

“Very disappointing result on the floor there,” Johnson told reporters moments after the vote. “Let me just make this clear, that … means that we can’t have any further action on the floor this week.”

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., the sponsor of the proxy-voting resolution Johnson tried to kill, celebrated the vote.

“Today is a pretty historic day for the entire conference. The whole body has decided that parents deserve a voice in Washington and also the importance of female members having a vote in Washington, D.C.,” Luna said.

Her proposed change to the House rules had strong bipartisan support—especially among the mothers in Congress. Rep. Brittany Pettersen, D-Colo., joined Congress in January but has missed over 75% of her votes, juggling her role as an elected representative with caring for her infant son, Sam. Pettersen gave birth in January. 

With her sleeping child in her arms, Pettersen addressed reporters on Tuesday. Sam, wearing a light-blue onesie, seemed unbothered by the reporters crowding around him. 

“Congress would look a lot different if we had more moms here,” Petterson said. “We are working to address the barriers we face to serving. This is an important step forward.”

Of the nine Republicans who voted with Luna—and against leadership—some said their vote was consistent with the party’s pro-life message.

“We’ve made a commitment that this would be the most pro-life, pro-child, pro-family Congress ever,” Rep. Jeff Van Drew, R-N.J., told reporters. “We don’t have hundreds of pregnant women [in Congress] so now and then, when one of them is pregnant, gives birth, and wants to spend a little special time with a newborn baby, there’s nothing wrong with that.”

Johnson, a former constitutional attorney, maintains that proxy voting, the practice of asking fellow members to cast a vote on their behalf, isn’t constitutional for new mothers or anyone else. He believes that proxy voting in past sessions of Congress has allowed members to skirt their representative duties. (Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., famously used proxy voting in 2022 to vote from a retreat in Costa Rica.)

But that’s just one layer of Johnson’s opposition to the measure.

Normally, the House speaker decides which bills go up for consideration. But, with a majority of the chamber’s support, members can file a discharge petition to get around leadership. While rare, discharge petitions can force votes without an easy way to stop them. Last month, Luna secured the 218 signatures needed to do just that.

Whatever the speaker’s personal convictions may be on proxy voting, Joe Postell, adjunct professor of politics at Hillsdale College, believes Johnson is more concerned about losing control of the chamber.

“The speaker’s procedural majority is the really important thing that the speaker has,” Postell said. “The right to control the agenda is the critical thing the speaker wants to hold on to. That enables the speaker to work with the president and to deliver on things that the president wants.”

Postell said Johnson likely wants to avoid a volley of discharge petitions that could delay Congress’ work to deliver Trump’s “one big, beautiful bill” with the president’s signature policy changes.

“What the discharge petition has become is a threat,” Postell said. “It’s a way of saying, ‘We can push this if we want, if you don’t want to listen to us.’ It’s a threat you have over the leadership. I think that’s why Johnson resists it so much—because he doesn’t want to be held under threat.”

For now, Johnson has canceled votes for the rest of the week, buying himself more time before the House must vote on Luna’s bill within two legislative days. The House reconvenes Monday.

Asked if he’s worried Tuesday’s vote opens the door to further discharge petitions, Johnson told WORLD he’s not.

“We’re going to take care of this problem,” Johnson said.