As we've reported, the standoff between Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) and House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) over the proxy voting issue is showing no signs of letting up, with Luna ally Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO) bringing her infant child to the House of Representatives and interviews to demonstrate how hard it allegedly is to be a new parent while also being expected to show up for votes.
Rep. Brittany Pettersen holds her newborn baby while speaking in favor of a petition to allow remote voting for new parents.
— ABC News (@ABC) April 1, 2025
"It is unfathomable that in 2025, we have not modernized Congress."
House GOP leaders are expected to block the move. https://t.co/uCZvuvwdfo pic.twitter.com/r2RgUBZWv3
Predictably, Petterson is also (wrongly) claiming that the actions of those who oppose proxy voting in the House, including Johnson, are "anti-woman, anti-parent, and anti-family," despite the fact that Republicans have long been opposed to proxy voting on grounds that it's unconstitutional and would, as Johnson described, "open a Pandora's box."
READ MORE -->> 'Opened a Pandora's Box': Mike Johnson Blasts GOPers Who Want Special Voting Privileges for New Parents
There's evidence for Johnson's suggestion, as explained by conservative legal scholar, author, and mother of three Carol Swain, who pointed out how the proxy voting allowed during the COVID-19 pandemic proved Johnson's point:
Far from being confined to the “public health emergency,” it ballooned into a catchall excuse for lawmakers who cited COVID but instead held campaign events, went on vacation or simply sought to avoid travel.
Votes were cast from conferences, cars and even from a celebrity wedding in France, stark departures from the measure’s intent.
If reinstated for new parenthood, what prevents its creep into other categories — illness, family events or inclement weather?
Congress already meets sparingly: The House convened just 117 days in 2024, and the Senate 154.
Expanding remote options will further dilute a duty that demands presence, not mere participation.
Sec. of Transportation Sean Duffy's daughter, Evita Duffy-Alfonso, was a little less diplomatic, explaining why the issue was very personal for her and the Duffy family:
When my baby sister was born with two holes in her heart and needed a very risky surgery, my father, @SecDuffy, knew he needed be at home with his newborn daughter, my mother, and my eight siblings. So my dad resigned. What he did not do was demand an unconstitutional exception that would allow him to vote remotely. He viewed his job in Congress as a responsibility and a privilege, not an entitlement.
If you are unable to fulfill the duties required of a member of Congress because you are a parent of a small child, feel free to resign. Many have before.
When my baby sister was born with two holes in her heart and needed a very risky surgery, my father, @SecDuffy, knew he needed be at home with his newborn daughter, my mother, and my eight siblings. So my dad resigned. What he did not do was demand an unconstitutional exception… pic.twitter.com/TFtLKFWeYq
— Evita Duffy-Alfonso (@evitaduffy_1) April 2, 2025
Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) also blasted back:
I can’t believe that Congress was hijacked this week over Luna’s resolution to allow members to skip work and vote from home.
As a mom, I know all about seasons of life. If you aren’t capable of doing the job your constituents sent you to do, then you should step aside and let someone else do it.
We have critical bills to pass to prevent illegals from voting and to stop judges from vetoing President Trump’s agenda.
It’s a shame that selfish politicians are putting themselves before the American people.
I can’t believe that Congress was hijacked this week over Luna’s resolution to allow members to skip work and vote from home.
— Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene🇺🇸 (@RepMTG) April 1, 2025
As a mom, I know all about seasons of life. If you aren’t capable of doing the job your constituents sent you to do, then you should step aside and let… pic.twitter.com/pKVKCirFJv
House Rules Committee Chairwoman Virginia Foxx (R-NC) is also against proxy voting in part for the reasons explained here:
While I am sure that those who support this change have good intentions, they’re doing two things: throwing their weight behind an unconstitutional procedure and unilaterally endorsing the same proxy voting scheme that Nancy Pelosi forced upon the House less than five years ago. And where does it end? The temptation to continue to expand the use of proxy voting for any purpose will be too great to ignore.
Voting in favor of this discharge petition is a surefire way of dissolving our Republican governance in real time and steeping ourselves in a vat of hypocrisy.
Proxy voting in committees was banned by Republicans in 1995, and when we were given the majority back in 2023, the first action we took was to remove this unconstitutional scheme from the House floor. When we adopt tactics of the minority while we are in control, all we do is shoot ourselves in the foot. Furthermore, it diminishes our ability to deliver for the public and evaporates our unity and collective resolve in real-time.
When one considers proxy voting along with the alleged difficulties of a new parent showing up to vote on Capitol Hill, please keep the following two things in mind:
— 𝗦𝗵𝗼𝘄 𝗠𝗲 𝗧𝗵𝗲 𝗗𝗮𝘁𝗮 (@txsalth2o) April 2, 2025
Could you even imagine her proxy votes had they been allowed? pic.twitter.com/6zGukW7J41
— Sandy 〽️ (@RightGlockMom) April 1, 2025
Food for thought.
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