Here is a sentence we never thought we would need to write: the battle over proxy voting for new and expectant parents is turning into one of the most nettlesome issues in Mike Johnson’s speakership.
It pits Johnson against the House Freedom Caucus, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) and President Donald Trump. Throw in the issue of workplace flexibility for working parents and it’s clear why the relatively inside-the-beltway issue of proxy voting has taken on a life of its own.
In many ways, this is another chapter in the House Freedom Caucus’ continuing battle against GOP leadership. The HFC – predominantly Reps. Chip Roy (R-Texas), Andrew Clyde (R-Ga.) and Ralph Norman (R-S.C.) – is threatening Johnson to block any bills from coming to the floor unless the speaker finds a way to cancel Luna’s discharge petition, which has already accrued the requisite 218 signatures to force a vote.
The HFC used to position itself as a vanguard of the House rules. Luna, of course, used the House rules properly in this instance to force a vote on an issue that the leadership did not want to tackle. But members of the HFC have a habit of trying to circumvent rules when they don’t work in their favor.
This has left Johnson in a very bad spot.
Luna, a 35-year-old in her second term, beat the speaker twice this week. She got 218 votes on the petition. And then she defeated Johnson’s efforts on the floor to table the discharge petition.
And Trump, with whom Luna has a good relationship, endorsed the proxy voting effort, saying, “I don’t know why it’s so controversial.”
This statement prompted an immediate call from Johnson to Trump to try to get the president to reverse. Johnson explained his opposition to Trump and hopes the president issues another statement walking back his endorsement.
Where does this go from here? The status quo right now is not sustainable. Johnson cannot bring anything to the floor as long as he, the HFC and Luna are at loggerheads.
Let’s be clear here: Johnson is the one who needs a deal – and quickly. Because if this continues to delay Trump’s legislative agenda – and it is now – the pressure on the speaker will ratchet up.
Here are some options.
1) Johnson can admit he lost, which he did, and let Luna’s resolution come up for a vote. If the HFC keeps the floor frozen, Trump can try to bend the hardline conservatives to his will, which he will probably be able to do.
2) Luna can simply delay forcing a vote on her discharge petition until after reconciliation passes. This would be a favor to Johnson and Trump. And she’d probably get rewarded for that – if she plays her cards right.
3) Johnson could try to table Luna’s resolution again next week as part of the rule to bring up the budget. This is what many figures in Johnson’s leadership want him to do. The speaker can try to break Luna’s eight-person coalition.
4) Johnson has come up with some proposals, but they seem quite far-fetched. He has offered a proposal that allows Luna to have her vote, but only allows proxy voting if she is able to amend the Constitution. We have no idea why she would take this when she could have her vote, have proxy voting begin and not try to amend the Constitution for something she doesn’t need to amend the Constitution for.
