Home Speaker Mike Johnson and different Republican leaders try to kill a push by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna of Florida to offer new moms in Congress the power to vote by proxy as they get well from childbirth and bond with their newborns.
Luna has the votes to cross the bipartisan laws, which the Republican is co-sponsoring alongside Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA) and Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO)—a brand new mom who has needed to journey to Washington, D.C., a number of instances along with her toddler youngster to keep away from lacking vital votes
However Politico reported that Johnson and different GOP leaders are looking for a technique to cease it from passing by bullying Republican members and even presumably altering the principles to dam Luna’s laws from making it to the ground for a vote.
From Politico’s report:
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) has already gathered sufficient member signatures on a discharge petition to drive a vote. However Speaker Mike Johnson, who argues that proxy voting is unconstitutional, is contemplating a number of choices to stop it from taking place as Luna mulls the best way ahead.
They embody making an attempt to kill the discharge petition within the Guidelines Committee subsequent week, in line with three folks with direct information of the matter who, like others quoted on this story, had been granted anonymity to debate personal talks. Some hard-liners are additionally floating a extra drastic possibility: altering the Home guidelines to successfully block future discharge petitions this Congress by making the method to set off a fast-track flooring vote way more burdensome, the three folks mentioned.
The discharge petition that would drive a vote on the invoice has 218 signatures from members of each events, signaling its broad assist. However Johnson claims he would not assist the laws as a result of he believes proxy voting is unconstitutional, and permitting new moms the chance to vote by proxy after giving delivery is a “slippery slope” to permitting extra teams the power to proxy vote, like members who should take care of sick spouses or kids—as if that’s such an terrible factor.
However Luna—who has been combating to permit new moms in Congress to vote by proxy since early 2024—doesn’t purchase that excuse.
“I am not going to destroy democracy by allowing female members to vote when recovering from birth,” Luna informed Politico of her efforts, which she says will make Congress extra equitable as a result of younger ladies lawmakers won’t have to decide on between having a child and representing their constituents.
And Luna referred to as Johnson’s bluff, saying that Johnson proxy voted when Democrats instituted the system to permit lawmakers to vote safely in the course of the COVID-19 pandemic—one thing he wouldn’t have finished had he actually believed it was unconstitutional.
Rep. Brittany Pettersen speaks on the Home flooring whereas holding her new child son.
Extra possible than not, Johnson’s opposition to proxy voting for brand spanking new moms is because of his social gathering’s extraordinarily slender Home majority. Absences from Democratic lawmakers like Pettersen may assist him cross partisan laws with extra respiratory room.
However the optics of this are horrible for the GOP—and even Republicans are admitting it.
“Voting against pregnant women, are y’all crazy?” uber-conservative Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee informed Politico of Johnson and firm’s makes an attempt to dam the invoice.
Johnson already blocked Luna’s effort to permit new moms to vote by proxy as soon as earlier than, in November 2024.
However this time round, Luna is utilizing a discharge petition—which might let her invoice come to the ground for a vote in a method that Johnson couldn’t block.
And Luna is threatening to stymie Johnson’s efforts to passing laws within the Home if he pulls any hijinks to thwart her once more.
Johnson’s push to cease Luna’s invoice from passing comes as Republican Rep. Kat Cammack of Florida introduced on Wednesday that she is pregnant and is because of give delivery this summer season.
She made a macabre joke about how her due date falls throughout a recess, when Congress is out and never voting, so Johnson would not have to fret.
“Mr Speaker, don’t worry. Margins are fine. I’m due in August,” Cammack mentioned.
Wow. That’s grim.
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