Republicans and Democrats team up to defy House leadership on voting for new parents

Source: ABC News

The House voted on Tuesday to stop Republican leaders from blocking an impending vote on proxy voting for new parents -- now leaving the House paralyzed after several Republicans joined Democrats to torpedo a procedural rule to advance the petition in a package of Republican bills.

The vote failed 206-222, with nine Republicans siding with a unanimous Democratic caucus to form an unusual bipartisan coalition -- throwing the House in a temporary paralysis with the surprise development.

The joint rule they voted on would have blocked Rep. Anna Paulina Luna's bipartisan discharge petition to allow proxy voting for new lawmaker parents -- both new mothers and fathers -- up to 12 weeks after giving birth. Luna had a child in 2023 as she was serving in Congress.

Republican Reps. Luna, Kevin Kiley, Tim Burchett, Jeff Van Drew, Greg Steube, Mike Lawler, Ryan Mackenzie, Nick LaLota and Max Miller all voted to defy Speaker Mike Johnson, who has argued the effort is unconstitutional.

Read more: https://www.yahoo.com/news/house-gop-leaders-expected-block-153300560.html