Trump breaks with Speaker Johnson on proxy voting

President Trump came out in support of a bipartisan push in the House to allow proxy voting for new parents in the House, going against House Speaker Mike Johnson’s position on the matter.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s push to bring back proxy voting paralyzed the House earlier this week after Mr. Johnson’s attempts to kill her resolution were rebuked by the chamber’s Democrats and a handful of its Republicans.

Mr. Trump said that he had spoken with Ms. Luna, Florida Republican, about the matter and said that while he was not involved in the issue, he “agreed” with her and others’ push to allow a more limited version of proxy voting once more.

“It’s a little controversial, I don’t know why it’s controversial,” Mr. Trump told reporters on Air Force One.

“I’m going to let the speaker make the decision, but I like the idea of being able to, if you’re having a baby I think you should be able to call in and vote,” he continued. “I’m in favor of that, but I understand some people aren’t.”

Ms. Luna thanked the president for his support shortly after.

“I’m confident that with President Trump’s support, my proxy voting resolution will pass and new moms and dads in Congress will be able to vote for the America First agenda we promised,” she said on X.

Ms. Luna later said that she spoke with the speaker following the president’s comments and hashed out a possible compromise that would limit proxy voting “to just new moms who cannot physically travel in event of an emergency.” 

“This is smart,” she said. 

The speaker, who has decried proxy voting as unconstitutional, opted to send lawmakers home rather than allow Ms. Luna’s measure to reach the floor for a vote. His decision abruptly halted all activity on the House floor for the remainder of the week.

Mr. Trump’s support of Ms. Luna’s measure will likely throw a wrench into Mr. Johnson’s plans for next week, when Republicans are expected to once again face down the proxy voting issue while juggling the Senate GOP’s budget blueprint.

The Washington Times reached out for comment from the speaker’s office.

Ms. Luna’s measure earned support from nine Republicans and all House Democrats earlier this week. Her resolution would reserve proxy voting for new mothers or fathers while they care for a child for up to 12 weeks after birth.

Mr. Johnson tried and failed to kill the proxy voting resolution by attaching language to a rule that would have effectively turned off the discharge petition that Ms. Luna used to circumvent the speaker and force a vote on the measure. 

Also attached to that rule were pieces of legislation that would have required proof of citizenship when registering to vote and a bill that would have limited district court judges’ ability to order nationwide injunctions against the president’s agenda, among others.

The speaker argued in a lengthy social media post on Wednesday that because the rule failed, the president’s agenda was “now stalled for the week,” and warned that there were many Republicans who refused to vote for a new rule until “we stop the proxy initiative.”

“Nancy Pelosi experimented with proxy voting during the 117th Congress, and it was quickly abused,” he said. “Republicans put an end to it then, and we cannot allow it again.”