Luna's proxy deal with leadership 'not a win' for moms, Pettersen says
Source: Roll Call
Posted April 7, 2025 at 5:22pm
An agreement between Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna to rely on vote “pairing” for recent and expecting mothers falls short of making Congress a more welcoming place for young parents, Rep. Brittany Pettersen said Monday. Pettersen, a Colorado Democrat, partnered with the Florida Republican this Congress to push for a change to House rules and allow new mothers and fathers to vote by proxy. Facing headwinds from GOP leadership and the House Freedom Caucus, Luna and Pettersen vowed to fight on, only for Luna to cut a deal over the weekend with Johnson, stymieing the proxy voting effort.
In a statement posted to X, Pettersen was both diplomatic and disappointed. “We are so grateful to Rep. Anna Paulina Luna for championing this issue that matters deeply to us, and so many other families. Her partnership was essential in building broad bipartisan support from a majority of the House,” Pettersen wrote. “But the reality is — this outcome does not address the barriers we’ve fought so hard to overcome.”
Luna announced her agreement with Johnson on Sunday. It would draw on an archaic rule allowing lawmakers to seek out pairings with their colleagues, essentially canceling out the missed vote of an absent member. Pettersen, who had her second child in January, has spearheaded the proxy voting push this Congress alongside Luna, who in 2023 joined a small group of members of Congress to ever give birth while in office.
In January, Pettersen introduced a resolution allowing proxy voting for up to 12 weeks after the birth of a child. Luna followed in March by filing a discharge petition that quickly garnered the 218 signatures needed to force a vote. But Johnson, a staunch opponent of proxy voting, dug in and attempted a procedural block.
Read more: https://rollcall.com/2025/04/07/luna-proxy-voting-pairing-deal-leadership-pettersen/