President Donald Trump has expressed his support for a proposal that would allow new mothers in Congress to vote by proxy, which has put him at odds with House Speaker Mike Johnson. Speaking to reporters aboard Air Force One, Trump stated, “When you’re having a baby, I believe you should be able to call in and vote.” He went on to question why this idea has become a source of controversy.
Trump mentioned that he had a conversation with Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida, who is one of the leading advocates for this initiative. Along with her colleague, Representative Brittany Pettersen, a Democrat from Colorado, Luna is pushing for a plan that would enable new parents to vote by proxy for a duration of 12 weeks while they care for their newborns. The plan currently enjoys the backing of 218 lawmakers, which is enough to prompt an official vote.
Despite this backing, Speaker Johnson has previously expressed his disapproval of proxy voting, labeling it as unconstitutional. He has also cautioned that it was misapplied during the COVID-19 pandemic when former Speaker Nancy Pelosi was in charge. However, following Trump’s endorsement of the idea, it was reported that Johnson reached out to Luna for further discussion.
Luna took to social media to share that after Trump’s support, Johnson and she discussed limiting the proxy voting option specifically to new mothers who may be unable to travel. She emphasized that such instances are rare, with only 13 similar cases recorded in U.S. history.
Earlier in the week, Johnson attempted to halt progress on this proposal, but a coalition of nine Republicans joined Democrats, resulting in a vote of 206-222 against him. After this defeat, Johnson decided to cancel all scheduled votes for the remainder of the week.
While the future of the proxy voting proposal remains uncertain, particularly with the impending April recess, Luna has made it clear that her efforts are not solely aimed at advancing legislation for President Trump.
The offices of both Speaker Johnson and Representative Luna have yet to respond to inquiries regarding this matter.
