A fierce battle is unfolding within the Republican Party as Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL), a staunch far-right lawmaker, challenges her own party’s leadership over a proposal to allow members of Congress to vote remotely while on maternity leave.
Luna, who gave birth two years ago, is pushing a bipartisan discharge petition to force a vote on the proposed rule change. The move has sparked backlash from top GOP leaders, including House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House Majority Leader Steve Scalise (R-LA), who responded by calling for a vote to impose tighter restrictions on discharge petitions.
Despite their opposition, more than half a dozen Republicans joined Luna and House Democrats in voting against the new restrictions. In response, GOP leadership abruptly shut down all House activity for the rest of the week, promising to bring the vote back on Monday.
Johnson and Scalise maintain that proxy voting is unconstitutional, despite a failed lawsuit supporting that position and the fact that Johnson himself has previously used proxy voting.
As Luna holds her ground, far-right allies have begun to turn on her.
“I can’t believe that Congress was hijacked this week over Luna’s resolution to allow members to skip work and vote from home,” posted Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene (R-GA) on X.. “As a mom, I know all about seasons of life. If you aren’t capable of doing the job your constituents sent you to do, then you should step aside and let someone else do it. We have critical bills to pass to prevent illegals from voting and to stop judges from vetoing President Trump’s agenda. It’s a shame that selfish politicians are putting themselves before the American people.”
Rep. Mary Miller (R-IL) backed Greene, replying, “Thank you for calling out this insanity, @RepMTG!”
The infighting has pushed Luna to take a dramatic step: resigning from the far-right House Freedom Caucus. Her departure underscores the growing rift among hardline conservatives over internal priorities, with Luna’s stance on maternity leave clashing against party leadership and former allies alike.
As the debate continues, it remains to be seen whether Luna’s push for family accommodations will gain broader traction—or become another casualty of Washington’s deepening partisan divides.