Conservative congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), a member of the House Freedom Caucus and mother of a 17-month-old baby, is pushing a measure on the floor that would give members of Congress the ability to vote remotely for 12 weeks after the birth of a child in their family (mothers and fathers).
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8.26.23 A special thank you to Dr. Kraft and the delivery nurses at Morton Plant for taking such great care of us. We couldn’t have asked for a better team.
pic.twitter.com/9ptBGcNwwf — Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) August 28, 2023
When Luna repeatedly tried to convince fellow MAGA “pro-family” advocate Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) that he should support the bill, he said the practice of proxy voting, even for new moms unable to travel to DC to vote, is “unconstitutional.”
Johnson said: “…I’m afraid it doesn’t fit with the language of the Constitution and that’s the inescapable truth that we have.”
Luna called Johnson’s comment a “cop-out response,” and is now teaming up with House Democrats including pregnant Rep. Brittany Pettersen (who is due in February), and Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY), to push the bill onto the floor.
Fellow Freedom Caucus member Rep. Chip Roy (R-TX) has also voiced his opposition to Luna’s bill, saying: “I don’t give a crap who you are or whether you just had a baby in the last six weeks.”
Luna replied: “…it’s not up to him or anyone else to block vote by proxy efforts. It’s called a discharge petition. And we will pass it. With or without them. I’ve made this constitutional by removing establishing a quorum. I look forward to debating anyone on the floor regarding this matter.”
Love chip. But it’s not up to him or anyone else to block vote by proxy efforts. It’s called a discharge petition. And we will pass it. With or without them. I’ve made this constitutional by removing establishing a quorum. I look forward to debating anyone on the floor regarding… https://t.co/THAjaQFLzg
— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) January 15, 2025
Note: The self-proclaimed “pro-life extremist” Luna has also introduced two bills in the 119th Congress which would require sentences of death or at least life imprisonment for those charged with a wide range of crimes related to children.
She said: “If you are raping someone, if you’re molesting someone, you are essentially murdering their soul. Those people never actually fully recover.”