Luna says agreement reached to allow proxy voting for members ‘unable to be physically present’ including new parents

By Alison Main, CNN

(CNN) — GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna said Sunday that she has reached an agreement with Speaker Mike Johnson in their standoff over allowing proxy voting for new parents, which had paralyzed the House last week.

Luna wrote on X that she and Johnson have agreed to formalize a centuries-old procedure called “live/dead pairing,” allowing members to vote by proxy when they are “unable to be physically present to vote,” including those who are new parents, bereaved or experiencing emergencies.

“Thanks to POTUS and his support of new moms being able to vote when recovering from child birth as well as those who worked hard to get these changes done. If we truly want a pro-family Congress, these are the changes that need to happen,” she said.

CNN has reached out to Johnson’s office about the agreement.

There has been a flurry of calls in recent days between President Donald Trump, Johnson and Luna to seek a path forward on the issue, which halted all House floor action last week, CNN previously reported.

Johnson sent members home on Tuesday after suffering an embarrassing defeat when a group of nine GOP rebels, led by Luna, tanked a procedural vote, despite a fierce pressure campaign from Johnson and his allies to support it.

“There was a ton of disinformation surrounding why the floor was shut down either way I’m glad to see this resolved,” Luna wrote on X on Sunday.

If GOP leaders did nothing to address this standoff, Luna would’ve been able to force her bill to the floor this week using the leadership-bucking tool known as a discharge petition. But GOP leadership, as well as many Freedom Caucus members, had fiercely opposed changing House rules to allow for proxy voting for new parents — 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 unconstitutional.

CNN’s Sarah Ferris contributed to this story.

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