President Donald Trump on Thursday threw his support behind the effort to allow proxy voting for new parents in Congress, weighing in on a growing divide within the House Republican caucus.
His endorsement comes as a standoff between House GOP leadership and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) intensifies over the issue.
Speaking aboard Air Force One while en route to Miami, Trump made it clear he sees no problem with allowing new parents in Congress to cast votes remotely.
“I don’t know why it’s controversial,” Trump told reporters. “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.”
Trump also revealed he had spoken with Luna about the issue just a day earlier.
“I spoke to Anna yesterday. She and some people feel strongly about it, and I would agree with them,” he said.
A GOP Divide Over Proxy Voting
Luna has been at the center of the fight to force a vote on the issue, joining with more than 200 Democrats and a handful of Republicans to advance a resolution introduced by Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.).
The proposal would allow members of Congress who give birth—or whose spouses give birth—to assign another member to vote on their behalf for up to 12 weeks.
GOP leadership, including Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), has strongly opposed the idea, arguing that proxy voting is unconstitutional and could set a dangerous precedent.
Johnson has worked to block Luna’s efforts, using procedural maneuvers earlier this week to shut down not only the proxy voting debate but also other Republican-led priorities, such as limiting the power of federal judges and requiring proof of citizenship to vote.
As a result, the House floor has come to a standstill, and GOP leadership ultimately canceled votes for the remainder of the week.
Johnson: “I Took an Oath to Uphold the Constitution”
Johnson has repeatedly argued that proxy voting violates the Constitution, telling reporters, “I took an oath to uphold the Constitution.”
Following Trump’s public endorsement of Luna’s push, Johnson reached out to her to discuss a potential compromise.
Luna later confirmed they had spoken about possibly limiting proxy voting exclusively to new mothers who are unable to travel due to health concerns.
The original proposal included both mothers and fathers, a provision that left some Republican members uneasy.
Several lawmakers claimed they had not realized they were supporting an effort to allow fathers to vote remotely, with many arguing that such an expansion strays too far from the intended purpose.
The White House had initially remained silent on Trump’s stance regarding the proxy voting dispute.
On Tuesday, press secretary Karoline Leavitt told reporters she was unsure where the president stood on the issue.
However, Trump’s endorsement of Luna’s efforts has now forced the conversation into the open, applying new pressure on Johnson and GOP leadership.
