House Republicans are still divided after proceedings ground to a halt on Tuesday over a push by a small group of GOP lawmakers to block Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., from changing chamber procedures.
Nine House Republicans joined Democrats in blocking a normally sleepy procedural vote, known as a ‘rule vote,’ from passing on Tuesday afternoon. It came after House leaders tucked an unrelated provision into the measure that would have stopped Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., from forcing a vote on giving new parents in the House the ability to vote remotely.
Johnson called the move ‘disappointing’ and cut the House’s legislative week short, sending lawmakers back to their districts two days early and canceling the remaining votes.
‘If a career in politics doesn’t work out for me, I have ample credentials to work at a circus,’ a senior House GOP aide said when asked about the current situation.
It’s led to bitter feelings on both sides of the standoff – and in some cases, toward both parties.
‘America did not vote for Congress paternity proxy voting at home. America did not vote for Congress to put a lid on the week on a Tuesday,’ Rep. Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., wrote on X on Wednesday morning. ‘I’m pretty disgusted with the events of yesterday. Republicans should not be joining with Democrats for their own personal agendas, and we shouldn’t quit and go home when things don’t go our way.’
Republicans who were against Luna’s push accused her of acting against the will of the House GOP majority and the country.
‘I don’t think most Americans want their Congress members voting from home. Our constituents have to show up to work, and we should too,’ Rep. Brandon Gill, R-Texas, told ‘The Ingraham Angle.’
Johnson accused Luna and her allies of delaying Trump’s agenda.
Luna, however, has pointed out that Johnson could have stripped the provision killing her measure out of the ‘rule’ and held the vote again, when it likely would have passed.
‘I am 100% supportive of [President Donald Trump] and his America First agenda. It is disingenuous for [Johnson] to lie about me,’ Luna wrote on X in response to the speaker’s comments. ‘[House Majority Leader Steve Scalise, R-La., and Johnson] did not have to send us home.’
Rep. Erin Houchin, R-Ind., appeared to defend Johnson’s decision to end the week.
‘What I would say is, the speaker has a responsibility, and he is engaging in that responsibility to protect the institutions from proxy voting,’ Houchin said. ‘I support that, and we’ll continue to have these conversations and hope that we’ll come back together next week, and we’ll get back to business.’
Another House Republican told Fox News Digital of the decision to send lawmakers home early, ‘Lots of torn-up feelings. Might be better to press pause for a couple of days.’
The ‘rule,’ if passed, would have allowed for debate and eventual House votes on a bill to limit district judges’ ability to issue nationwide injunctions and a measure requiring proof of citizenship in the voter registration process, respectively.
But House leaders also added a provision that would have neutered lawmakers’ ability to file discharge petitions, a mechanism that forces the chamber to consider legislation even if those in charge oppose it.
Luna had used a discharge petition to try to force a vote on a bipartisan bill to allow new parents in the House to vote remotely for 12 weeks surrounding the birth of their child.
That bill gained support from all Democrats and enough House Republicans to net the necessary majority threshold, despite Johnson and a group of conservatives being vehemently opposed.
Republicans who voted with Luna on Tuesday argued they did so to protect a tool of the House majority.
‘Don’t buy the BS. My ‘no’ vote was about process—not whether new parents should be able to proxy vote,’ Rep. Greg Steube, R-Fla., wrote on X. ‘I voted against a rule bill that undermined a Member’s right to utilize the discharge petition—a century-old tool that empowers individual Members to force a vote when leadership blocks legislation.’
Steube himself successfully used a discharge petition last year to force a vote on legislation to offer tax relief for disaster victims.
Luna said in a statement Wednesday night, ‘The reason a discharge petition is put in place is in the event that members are unable to bring legislation to the floor because, for whatever reason, the leadership blocks it. There are a few bills that have been filed for a while but have never been voted on. This place loves to consolidate power. The discharge petition must be protected at all costs.’
Johnson huddled with members of the House Rules Committee on Wednesday morning, but Rep. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., one of the conservatives opposed to Luna’s push, told Fox News Digital that no decisions had been made.
‘Nothing has changed. I like Anna Paulina Luna. I just don’t like proxy voting. I think that opens Pandora’s Box,’ Norman said. ‘We didn’t come up with any solutions today, but I think we’ll come up with something.’
If Johnson decides to strip out the discharge petition language from the ‘rule,’ the measure will have to be debated and advanced out of the House Rules Committee again.
He said little to Fox News when asked about the standoff on Wednesday.
‘We’ll work through it. We’ve already begun that process today,’ Johnson said. He added that ‘another rule’ will be moved ‘early next week.’
Fox News’ Chad Pergram contributed to this report.
