FIRST HOUSE RULE VOTE UNDER JOHNSON’S NEW CONGRESS FAILS OVER PROXY VOTING GOP REVOLT

Because the rule failed, the legislation cannot move forward, and Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) cancelled votes for the rest of the week as a result.

“It’s a very disappointing result on the floor there,” the speaker said after Tuesday’s failed vote. “A handful of Republicans joined with all the Democrats to take down a rule. That’s rarely done. It’s very unfortunate.”

Anna Paulina Luna

Luna is the co-author of the bipartisan bill to change the rules and allow new parents to vote by proxy beginning on the date of the birth and terminating 12 weeks after. She was the 12th woman to give birth while serving in Congress in history, followed by Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), the Democratic co-author.

She told reporters heading into the vote that it was “unacceptable” that leadership attempted to kill her petition by entering a provision into the rule that would prevent it or similar petitions from coming forward.

Luna had warned leadership that if they wanted to play “hardball” with her, she would not back down.

“Never bet against the Luna,” she told reporters after the rule failed.

Tim Burchett

Burchett, an ally of Luna’s, had signaled his support for the discharge petition for weeks before voting against the rule Tuesday.

“I’m not a fan of proxy, but if we’re going to make one exception, it just seems like a pregnant woman would be that exception,” Burchett said last week.

Burchett celebrated the rule vote failing in a video with Luna and Pettersen, noting that new parent proxy voting “sounds pretty reasonable to me.”

Kevin Kiley

Kiley was a surprise “no” vote on Tuesday, as he did not sign onto the discharge petition nor co-sponsor the bill.

Nick LaLota

The New York Republican signaled he would vote “no” on the rule ahead of the vote, taking issue with the fact that the rule negated the hard work Luna put into getting the bill ready for a vote.

“Rep. Luna followed the rules and deserves a vote on the merits of her proposal,” he told multiple outlets. “Members who oppose her proposal should negotiate with her to amend it or persuade 218 members to vote ‘no,’ rather than deny her a vote on the merits.”

Mike Lawler

Lawler kept his vote close to his chest throughout Tuesday but ultimately voted against the rule. He was one of the original four co-sponsors of the bill — Luna, Pettersen, himself, and Rep. Sara Jacobs (D-CA).

Jeff Van Drew

Van Drew is one of five Republicans who co-sponsored the bill and signed the petition to bring it to the House floor. Four of the five Republicans voted against the rule, with the exception being Rep. Dan Crenshaw (R-TX).

Max Miller

Miller was another surprise addition to the revolt group, as he did not co-sponsor or sign the petition.

He said he could not in “good conscience” vote for the rule that would “pull the rug out” from under Luna.

“I had a baby girl just over a year ago and in the first weeks of her life there were some complications,” Miller said. “I cannot imagine a mother who has spent 9 months going through the wringer, being told that you can’t be with your infant because you are one of 435 people. We are the pro-life, pro-family party. As a new dad, I just couldn’t support it.”

Greg Steube

Steube told the Deseret News he doesn’t support the new parent proxy voting bill.

“However, I do support members ability to file a discharge petition,” Steube said. “By killing a discharge petition by rule is an abuse of the rules and the process in which members have to get bills heard on the floor.”

Ryan Mackenzie

Mackenzie, a vulnerable GOP freshman from Pennsylvania, co-sponsored the bill but did not sign the discharge petition.

“I would like to see a vote on the proxy voting,” Mackenzie told reporters. “I think it should get its own up or down vote. So I voted no because I don’t like it being in a package like this, and I think it should stand on its own right.”