Allowing new parents in Congress to vote by proxy is officially dead in the U.S. House of Representatives.
Republicans scrapped the idea by tucking language in a rule that passed the chamber along party lines on Tuesday afternoon, 213 211.
The move came hours after Colorado Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen, who sponsored the resolution that would have allowed proxy voting for new parents for up to 12 weeks, signaled her intent to bring up the issue through a parliamentary process called a discharge petition. She achieved the required number of signatures to use that process early last month.
“I'm stunned at the level of pushback that we got from the Speaker,” Pettersen said, holding her baby, Sam. “The reason the discharge petition exists is that if you have leadership that's not listening to you and isn't letting the majority of members have a say on something that they support, you can do a rare thing, which is get 218 signatures to force a vote on the floor.”
Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, who helped lead the effort for proxy voting this Congress, struck a deal with House Speaker Mike Johnson on Monday to bring back the idea of “paired voting” instead. It’s where two members on the opposite side make an agreement to cancel out each other’s votes.
Luna wrote on social media that it could be used by all House members “when unable to physically be present to vote: new parents, bereaved, emergencies."
The chamber used it decades ago, but it hasn’t been included in the rules formally in over 20 years and it’s still unclear how it would work in this Congress.
“Do you think that there would be one Republican here today that would stand and vote present on the bills this week coming forward on my behalf?” Pettersen asked on the floor during debate on the rule. “I don't think so. This is why this is not a workable solution.”
Pettersen pointed out that even if the chamber had approved the change, it would be too late for her to use it: This week would have been the last week she would have been eligible.
Pettersen also had a retort for all the people who said she should resign rather than push for proxy voting.
“You are completely missing the point. I am absolutely capable of doing my job, but because I'm a woman and because I chose to have a baby, I have been prevented from doing so,” she said.
Still, despite the differences in the solution, Pettersen had kind words for Luna both on and off the floor, commending Luna’s “unwavering commitment to giving moms and dads a voice in Congress.”
“I understand that she’s in a different position — navigating her leaders and the dynamics with her members,” Pettersen said.
Last week, Luna and eight other Republicans joined all Democrats to thwart Johnson’s initial attempt to kill proxy voting. Johnson sent the entire chamber home early, otherwise, the resolution would have been brought forward for a vote that week. It was a defeat for Johnson.
Even President Donald Trump weighed in, saying he supported the idea of proxy voting. However, after talking with Johnson, the Speaker said the president backed his objections to it.
Taking a long-term view, Pettersen said she’s not giving up on the issue and will continue to work to change it in the future.
“Congress is stuck in doing things the way that we did hundreds of years ago, and it's time that we move it to the 21st century,” she said.
