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Things are getting heated in the U.S. House of Representatives, and it’s not your run-of-the-mill Republicans vs. Democrats political sniping. Instead, it’s a coalition led by Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), made up mostly of Democrats and a handful of Republicans, that’s causing major headaches for Speaker Mike Johnson this week.
The matter at hand has to do with Luna’s efforts to extend proxy voting privileges to House members—including both mothers and fathers—when they welcome new babies into their families. Proxy voting would allow the new parents to stay home with their babies and allow another member to vote in their place for a certain period of time; Luna has suggested 12 weeks.
Speaker Johnson is adamantly opposed to proxy voting of any kind, including in cases where House members are convalescing or otherwise incapacitated. Johnson maintains that members have a constitutional duty to be present on the House floor for votes, while Luna argues that an exception should be made for members who have just welcomed a child.