Rep. Luna signals potential end to remote voting standoff

By Sarah Ferris, CNN

(CNN) — GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna signaled Thursday night that she and Speaker Mike Johnson may have found a way to end their standoff over the issue of remote voting for new parents in Congress.

After several hours in which Luna, Johnson and President Donald Trump exchanged phone calls, Luna suggested there could be an off-ramp to the contentious dayslong saga that skidded the House floor to a halt this week.

Luna said on X that Johnson called her to discuss a possible compromise on the issue by “limiting the vote to just new moms who cannot travel because of health concerns.”

Johnson’s office did not immediately respond to request for comment.

This came after Trump himself expressed support for Luna’s push to give new moms in Congress the option to vote remotely. It was not immediately clear whether this meant Luna was back to her initial push of allowing female lawmakers to vote by proxy for six weeks while they are recovering from birth, which Johnson initially rejected, forcing Luna to partner with Democrats and ultimately expand her bill to new parents of both genders.

If GOP leaders did nothing to address this standoff, Luna would be able to force her bill to the floor next week using the leadership-bucking tool known as a discharge petition. But GOP leadership, as well as many Freedom Caucus members, had fiercely opposed this change to House rules — leading to a standstill.

Johnson and Luna have battled for months over the Florida congresswoman’s push to allow proxy for parents of newborns – an effort that began after she gave birth last year and was unable to vote for weeks. But the institutionalist Republican speaker fiercely rejected the effort, forcing Luna to choose the more contentious approach of working with Democrats.

Trump on Thursday said he is “in favor” of proxy voting for new parents, publicly splitting with Speaker Johnson on the issue, though the president conceded it’s ultimately the speaker’s decision.

“I’m gonna 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. I’m in favor of that. I understand some people aren’t, and I’m not involved in the issue, but I did. I spoke to [Rep.] Anna [Paulina Luna] yesterday. She and some people feel strongly about it, and I would agree with them,” the president said.

Johnson personally used proxy voting during the pandemic when it was allowed under then-Speaker Nancy Pelosi. But he has since argued – including in court – that it is unconditional.

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