The US house spokesman Mike Johnson, R-La., Speaks alongside Rep. Andy Harris, R-Md. and House majority leader Steve Scalisue, R-La. (R) During a press conference in Capitol on March 11, 2025 (photo of Kayla Bartkowski/Getty Images)
Washington -the US house spokesman Mike Johnson and the MP from Florida, Anna Paulina Luna, have completed a deal this weekend to avoid a ground vote that would probably have changed the rules of the chamber and gave new parents the ability to vote on Proxy for 12 weeks.
Johnson and Luna, both Republicans, plan to exploit “pairing of votes” – whereby two members agree on the opposite pages of a problem to cancel the votes of the other, as a rule because a legislator cannot make it to the ground, instead of choosing a two -party proposal to vote from a distance.
The deal was the progress for Johnson, who saw Torpedo the House Agenda last week, although the Democrats were not on board from Monday.
“Spokesman Johnson and I have made an agreement and formalized a procedure entitled” Live/Dead Pairing ” – Back to the 19th century – for the entire conference that cannot be used if they cannot be able to vote: new parents, survivors, emergencies,” published Luna on social media.
While the GOP legislators could work with other members of their own party if they plan to coordinate differently via a bill, the plan would probably need democratic buy-in to work on party line voices.
Democrats disappointed
Colorado Rep. Brittany Pettersen and California Rep. Sara Jacobs, both Democrats, spent explanations in which Luna expressed disappointment because he had no longer promoted the discharge petition that was supposed to force a ground change this week.
“When spokesman Johnson refused to have our decision to vote on the” instead of “, instead he made historical efforts to kill our resolution and ensure that the vast majority of its members have no voice. Let us be clear: these changes are not a victory for us and the spokesman Johnson has turned their backs on mothers and fathers in the congress and in working families. “
Jacobs wrote that the agreement that Johnson and Luna achieved would not support “new parents so that they can do their work and coordinate on behalf of their voters while taking care of themselves and their families”.
“I will not accept how the congress has always done things, and the American people won’t be,” wrote Jacobs. “We will always urge innovative opportunities to support young people and parents in the congress – including modernizing our coordination – even if a democratic majority is necessary to do so.”
Jacobs, Luna, Pettersen and their allies of both parties could defeat a maneuver from Johnson Last week that would have put her discharge petition aside. In response to the defeat, Johnson sent the house home for the week on Tuesday.
Floor vote avoided
If Luna and Johnson had not completed a deal this weekend, they would have enforced the house rules this week on non -partisanity a soil vote Deputy vote for solving new parents.
The application for discharge to remove it for a vote Signatures of 218 house membersThe support that was necessary to change the rules of the chamber had the support.
Hakeem Jeffries, Dn.Y., said during a press conference on Monday that he had “not had the opportunity to fully evaluate this proposal and/or to speak to Rep. Pettersen or Rep. Sarah Jacobs who were leading on our side.”
“And that’s why I will not comment on the proposal until I have had this conversations and the opportunity to check this so-called agreement,” said Jeffries, before adding that he did not understand why so many GOP legislators had against the permission of Proxy’s votes for new parents.
“The question must be raised: What is the Republican problem of enabling expectant mothers or new mothers to coordinate on behalf of their voters?” Asked Jeffries. “This seems to die a very strange hill for them by law.”
