U.S. House moms seek rules change to vote remotely after childbirth
The room was especially chilly and filled with bright lights. And it was noisy. But Rep. Anna Paulina Luna's baby boy was quiet, content and snuggled beneath a blanket in his black stroller, not far from mom.
Luna, a Republican serving her first-term representing the Clearwater, Florida area, was staging a news conference, making a case to change House rules. Luna has proposed a true Congressional rarity: A bipartisan bill that unites some of the House's most fiery Republican and Democratic flamethrowers.
Luna wants the House to allow its members who are new mothers to be permitted to vote by proxy — remotely from home — during the first six weeks of their babies' lives. In a bill she introduced last week, Luna proposes formally loosening House restrictions, which require its members to be inside the House chamber to cast votes on any bills.
"To date, only 12 women in history have ever given birth while serving in this body," Luna said. "That's less than 0.1% of members who've come through the doors of this institution. This place is completely out of touch with average Americans."
Luna, 34, said she suffered from preeclampsia while pregnant, and experienced other complications after her son was born in August. She also developed mastitis and had to go onto antibiotics and blood pressure medications. The delivery and her health condition prevented Luna from reliably being able to attend House sessions and vote, amid a series of high-stakes matters on the federal budget and the first-ever ouster of a House speaker.
Her proposal comes just 13 months after House Republicans spiked a pandemic-era initiative allowing proxy voting for any member of the House in 2021 and 2022. Republicans celebrated the end of the proxy system, arguing it had been abused by some House members who skipped voting in-person to attend fundraisers or personal events.
It was Luna's former Republican leader, Kevin McCarthy, who championed the elimination of proxy voting for all members after the 2022 elections. McCarthy posted on social media, "No more proxy voting. Effective immediately, Members of Congress have to show up to work if they want their vote to count."
Luna and her supporters said an exception, and a restoration of the proxy system, should be made for new mothers.
Democratic Rep. Sara Jacobs of California, 34, who co-sponsored Luna's legislation said Congress needs to be more accessible to young parents and women of child-bearing age. Jacobs described undergoing having her eggs frozen as she began her service in Congress.
"I knew that the process of freezing my eggs was still easier than having a child during that time," Jacobs said. "I represent San Diego, which means I'm on a roundtrip flight for 12 hours, doing that during a third trimester would be a big challenge. We all know that just like pregnancy and childbirth, the voting schedule can be unpredictable."
Luna's press conference announcing the proposal drew a uniquely bipartisan group of colleagues, including Republican Rep. Matt Gaetz of Florida, a fiery supporter of former President Donald Trump, and Democratic Rep. Jared Moskowitz of Florida, an ardent critic of Trump's and GOP leadership.
Moskowitz said Luna's proposal is vital as the average age of members of Congress continues to become younger.
"As the times change, so must the rules in the House of Representatives," Moskowitz said. "With the House already having the previous capability to allow proxy voting, parents who are taking care of their children during the first 30 days should be allowed to vote proxy."
A Pew research report said the median average of House members dropped from 59 years to 57.9 years in 2023 at the beginning of the 118th Congress.
"We shouldn't force new mothers in Congress choose between serving their constituents and caring for their newborn child," said Republican Rep. Tim Burchett of Tennessee.
Spokespeople for House Republican leadership did not respond to requests for comment last week about Luna's proposal.
In June, a group of House Democrats issued a statement blasting House leaders for eliminating proxy voting earlier this year. The statement said, "Republicans' elimination of proxy voting in the 118th Congress has restricted the ability of lawmakers to perform one of their core duties and represent the people they are elected to serve in the event of unexpected personal or family illnesses that prevents them from traveling to the Capitol to vote in person."