House cancels rest of votes for week after GOP floor rebellion
Share and Follow


House Republican leaders on Tuesday canceled votes for the rest of the week after a band of GOP lawmakers staged a rebellion on the floor, bringing legislative action to a screeching halt.

House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.) informed lawmakers the next vote in the House would be Monday evening.

The announcement came minutes after nine Republicans joined all Democrats in opposing a procedural rule that would have killed a bipartisan effort to allow proxy voting for new parents. The vote also blocked planned votes on GOP priorities to limit the power of federal judges and to require proof of citizenship to vote.

Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) successfully used an arcane and rarely successful discharge petition procedure to force a vote on Rep. Brittany Pettersen’s (D-Colo.) resolution to allow members who give birth or lawmakers whose spouses give birth to have another member vote for them for 12 weeks.

But amid opposition from Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) who has argued that proxy voting is unconstitutional the leadership-controlled House Rules Committee inserted language into a procedural rule to kill Luna’s effort.

That hardball tactic, however, failed Tuesday when nine Republicans voted with Democrats to torpedo the procedural vote, bringing key legislative action on the floor to a halt. Without adopting a rule, the House is unable to debate and vote on big-ticket legislative items.

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

The thwarted rule means the House leaders cannot hold votes as planned on the No Rogue Rulings Act, which would limit the power of federal judges to impose nationwide injunctions like those that have blocked Trump administration actions; and the Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which would require proof of citizenship in order to register to vote.

“Let me just make this clear: That rule being brought down means that we can’t have any further action on the floor this week,” he added. “That means we will not be voting on the SAVE Act for election integrity. We will not be voting on the rogue judges who are attacking President Trump’s agenda. We will not be taking down these terrible Biden policies with the CRA votes. All that was just wiped off the table. It’s very unfortunate. We’ll regroup and come back, and we’ll have to do this again.”

The canceled votes raise questions about leadership’s next move.

Luna earlier Tuesday made a privileged motion enabled by her discharge petition to force consideration of the proxy voting legislation within two legislative days. Had the House schedule continued as planned, it would have likely come up Friday. 

But now, it appears the earliest the resolution could come up is Monday a fly-in day, when evening House votes typically have lower attendance, a dynamic that could complicate the path for the proxy voting resolution if leaders bring it up.

There is also the possibility that House GOP leaders still take another attempt at preventing the proxy voting for new parents resolution from coming up.

Asked if leadership could mount another effort to do so, however, Luna said, “I don’t think they can.”

Luna spoke to Johnson on the House floor as the vote took place. Luna said he told her, “I know your heart’s in the right place,” while Luna responded, “I hope you have good things to say about this.”

Share and Follow
You May Also Like
Judge again bars Trump admin. from deploying troops to Portland

Judge Reaffirms Ban on Trump Administration’s Military Deployment to Portland

PORTLAND, Ore. (AP) — A federal judge in Oregon has temporarily halted…
Florida boyfriend who killed pregnant teen for refusing abortion faces death penalty

Florida Man Faces Death Penalty for Murder of Pregnant Teen Girlfriend Over Abortion Dispute

A tragic case involving a Florida man has led to a death…
2 children among 5 injured in head-on car crash near Route 14 and Lembcke Road in unincorp. Harvard, Illinois: fire officials

Tragic Head-On Collision Near Route 14: 2 Children Among 5 Injured in Harvard, Illinois

In an unfortunate incident in the northern suburbs, a head-on collision on…
Baby Emmanuel's father Jake Haro sentenced to 25 years to life in 7-month-old son's murder

Justice Served: Jake Haro Receives 25 Years to Life for Tragic Murder of 7-Month-Old Son

In Riverside, California, Jake Haro received a sentence of 25 years to…
Putin unveils terrifying new nuclear submarine

Putin Introduces Powerful New Nuclear Submarine: A Game-Changer in Naval Technology

Vladimir Putin has introduced a formidable addition to Russia’s military arsenal: a…
The shocking moment a pod of orcas kills a young great white shark

Orcas Captured on Video Preying on Young Great White Shark

In a dramatic encounter captured on video, a group of orcas were…
UN human rights chief says US strikes on alleged drug boats are 'unacceptable'

UN Condemns US Naval Strikes on Suspected Drug Vessels: Human Rights Violation Alert

The United Nations’ top human rights official has issued a stern warning…
Trump 'feels badly' for royal family after Andrew stripped of 'Prince'

Trump Expresses Sympathy for Royal Family Following Prince Andrew’s Title Removal

Donald Trump has expressed sympathy for the royal family amid the ongoing…