Speaker Johnson Makes A Deal With Luna Over Proxy Voting Rules For New Parents

House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) struck a deal with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL) on Sunday to resolve an intraparty dispute over proxy voting for new parents in Congress, preserving constitutional in-person voting traditions while establishing accommodations for lawmakers with newborns.

The tentative agreement will formalize vote “pairing” — a centuries-old congressional rule that matches an absent member’s vote with a colleague who casts the opposite vote.

Luna confirmed the deal with Johnson on X: “Speaker Johnson and I have reached an agreement and are formalizing a procedure called ‘live/dead pairing’ — dating back to the 1800s — for the entire conference to use when unable to physically be present to vote: new parents, bereaved, emergencies.”

Speaker Johnson and I have reached an agreement and are formalizing a procedure called “live/dead pairing”—dating back to the 1800s—for the entire conference to use when unable to physically be present to vote: new parents, bereaved, emergencies.

Thanks to POTUS and his support… https://t.co/48pJM8g00V

— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina) April 6, 2025

Luna said the agreement would apply to new parents, those on bereavement leave, and “emergencies” but has yet to provide additional details, such as the maximum length of “pairing” and if mothers and fathers would receive the same treatment under the policy.

Democrats reacted “skeptically,” according to the Washington Post, but have yet to come to a formal conclusion.

Luna, who gave birth to her first child in August 2023, had pushed the proxy voting resolution alongside Rep. Brittany Pettersen (D-CO), who has a 4-month-old son.

The compromise comes after last week’s surprise vote from nine Republicans derailed an attempt by House leadership to block Luna’s proxy voting proposal, forcing them to the table and eventually landing on a rule dating back to the 1800s.

During the pandemic, then-House Speaker Nancy Pelosi (D-CA) and the Democrat majority House allowed proxy voting for two years, with Speaker Johnson warning that it was an experiment that “was quickly abused. Republicans put an end to it then, and we cannot allow it again.”

Johnson initially opposed any form of remote voting, calling it a challenge to constitutional principles.

According to officials familiar with the plan, Johnson also intends to set up designated nursing rooms near the House floor, making it easier for new mothers to fulfill their duties.

This agreement paves the way for Johnson to focus on rallying the GOP on a looming budget showdown, with several members of the House Freedom caucus indicating skepticism regarding the Senate’s version of the budget resolution, according to the Post.