In a dramatic turn of events, Rep.
Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) has announced her resignation from the House Freedom Caucus, following a heated disagreement with fellow Republicans over her advocacy for proxy voting for new parents.
Luna's decision comes in the wake of her clash with the GOP leadership and conservative hardliners who opposed her efforts to schedule a vote on the issue.
Luna's resignation was precipitated by what she described as a breakdown of respect within the caucus. In a letter to her fellow caucus members, she expressed her disappointment, stating, "The respect among lawmakers in the caucus has been shattered." Luna accused the Freedom Caucus of threatening to "halt floor proceedings indefinitely" unless Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) amended House rules to obstruct her initiative.
According to One America News, Luna's resignation letter, which was obtained by The Hill, read, "With a heavy heart, I am resigning from the Freedom Caucus. I cannot remain part of a caucus where a select few operate outside its guidelines, misuse its name, broker backroom deals that undermine its core values and where the lines of compromise and transaction are blurred, disparage me to the press, and encourage misrepresentation of me to the American people."
Luna's departure from the caucus was not entirely unexpected. She had previously hinted at her likely exit due to her ongoing disagreements with several caucus members. Her resignation letter formalizes her departure and marks the latest development in the ongoing dispute over parental proxy voting.
Luna had been a vocal advocate for Rep. Brittany Pettersens (D-Colo.) proposal, which would allow lawmakers who have recently become parents to delegate their voting rights to another member for a period of 12 weeks. Luna, who herself gave birth to a son in August 2023 while serving in Congress, successfully completed a discharge petition for the proposal.
Despite facing resistance from the GOP leadership, Luna managed to secure 218 signatures on the petition, including 11 from fellow Republicans. This was enough to move the proposal to the floor. However, top lawmakers, including Speaker Johnson, have argued that proxy voting is unconstitutional and have been exploring ways to prevent the resolution from reaching the floor.
One proposed solution involves adding language to "turn off" the privilege, forcing the leadership to take up the proxy voting legislation. This would likely involve including it in an unrelated procedural resolution. If this route is taken, Luna and the other signatories to her discharge petition would need to unite and overcome the procedural hurdle, either by voting it down or finding another way to compel the vote.
In her resignation letter, Luna accused hard-line Republicans of threatening to halt floor proceedings indefinitely, regardless of the legislation at stake, including President Trumps agenda, unless the rules were altered to block her discharge petition. She singled out three members of the House Rules Committee, who are also members of the Freedom Caucus, accusing them of trying to change the rules of governance to kill her petition.
The Safeguard American Voter Eligibility (SAVE) Act, which requires proof of citizenship for voter registration, is expected to be voted on the House floor this week. Luna accused her colleagues of attempting to tie her petition to a rule that would kill it and attaching it to the SAVE Act.
In her letter, Luna wrote, "The intent was clear: to misrepresent me and the members supporting this pro-life, pro-family initiativeone of the most significant in congressional historyas obstructing the President and opposing election integrity. This tactic was not just a betrayal of trust; it was a descent into the very behavior we have long condemneda practice that we, as a group, have repeatedly criticized leadership for allowing."
Luna ended her letter with a poignant question to her colleagues, "Why abandon the principles weve championed and resort to such conduct?" She pointed out the irony of her situation, noting that she had never voted by proxy, yet one of the Rules Committee members who opposed her initiative had done so over 30 times.
Luna's resignation from the Freedom Caucus underscores the deep divisions within the GOP over issues such as proxy voting. It remains to be seen how this will impact the caucus and the broader Republican Party in the long run. As Luna herself stated, "Supporting female representation and new families is not a fringe issueit is a cornerstone of a vibrant, representative Congress."
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