Johnson Seeks to Block Proxy Voting for New Parents in the House

Debate on Remote Voting for New Parents in Congress Reaches Critical Juncture

A longstanding debate over the possibility of allowing members of Congress to vote remotely during parental leave is set to explode into a pivotal confrontation on the House floor this Tuesday afternoon. The initiative, which has garnered significant bipartisan support among younger lawmakers and new parents, faces a challenge from Speaker Mike Johnson, who has been working behind the scenes to thwart this change to the House rules.

The movement for remote voting was spearheaded by Representative Anna Paulina Luna, a Republican from Florida, who began advocating for a rule change more than a year ago. Inspired by her own experience as a new mother, Luna proposed allowing new mothers to designate a colleague to vote by proxy in their absence for up to six weeks following childbirth. Currently, there are no designated maternity or paternity leave policies for Congress members, meaning they can take time off but cannot cast votes unless physically present in the Capitol.

Supporters of this initiative argue that it represents a practical and modern solution to a deeply outdated rule, particularly in an era where there is a greater number of women and younger members serving in Congress compared to 200 years ago. Joining Ms. Luna’s effort, Democrats including Representatives Brittany Pettersen and Sara Jacobs from Colorado have expanded the resolution to encompass new fathers, proposing a 12-week period of proxy voting during parental leave.

Despite its popularity, Speaker Johnson has remained staunchly opposed to any changes that would permit proxy voting. He has labeled such accommodations as unconstitutional, despite the Supreme Court’s decision not to entertain a Republican-led lawsuit contesting the legality of pandemic-era proxy voting. Johnson and his supporters contend that enabling members to vote without being present at the Capitol, irrespective of how narrowly defined that allowance may be, risks creating a slippery slope. They argue it could detract from the essential collegiality among lawmakers.

Representative Virginia Foxx, a Republican from North Carolina and chairwoman of the Rules Committee, emphasized this sentiment, arguing that Congress is fundamentally about the act of coming together. She claimed that any alteration to this tradition threatens the core integrity of Congress, calling it an existential issue for the legislative body.

Attempts to sidestep this debate intensified when Johnson refused to bring the parental leave voting measure to the floor for consideration. In response, Luna and her allies successfully utilized a discharge petition—a procedural move requiring 218 members of the House to sign in order to bring a bill to the floor—forcing the issue onto the agenda.

However, in a surprising turn of events on the morning of the scheduled vote, Republicans on the House Rules Committee attempted a behind-the-scenes maneuver to quash the initiative. They advanced a resolution designed to block the proxy voting bill or any related legislation from being voted on for the remainder of the congressional session. This effectively nullifies the discharge petition and prevents advocates from securing a vote on the matter for at least two years.

The GOP lawmakers strategically inserted their anti-proxy voting measure into an unrelated bill concerning the SAVE Act, which requires individuals to verify their U.S. citizenship when registering to vote. This tactic aims to pressure Republican lawmakers to support the broader resolution while limiting the chances of the proxy voting initiative gaining traction.

Democratic representatives have denounced this approach, labeling it an unprecedented misuse of legislative power aimed at stifling an essential process within the House that ensures that measures with broad support are subjected to a vote. Representative Jim McGovern, a Democrat from Massachusetts, expressed outrage, accusing Republicans of obstructing the voting rights of new parents. He characterized the Republican actions as shameful, asserting that this should not be a legislative environment where democratic principles are disregarded.

As tensions peak, it remains uncertain whether Speaker Johnson can rally enough Republican support to successfully block the proxy voting bill, particularly in light of its backing from a majority of House members. A floor vote has been scheduled for 1:30 p.m., as both sides await the outcome of this crucial confrontation that could redefine how parental leave is managed in Congress and reflect broader attitudes toward family policies among lawmakers.