As Twitchy reported earlier, there’s a new fight in Congress over allowing mothers of newborns to vote by proxy. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna quit the Freedom Caucus over the issue, and Rep. Brittany Pettersen brought her baby to the House floor to show Speaker Mike Johnson “why you don’t mess with moms.” “This is a major step forward in our fight to remove barriers that make it difficult for new parents to serve in Congress,” she said.
Not everyone is so sympathetic, though, fearing that allowing proxy voting will lead to problems down the road.
Rep. Chip Roy was especially vocal about the issue, calling proxy voting unconstitutional.
Proxy voting is unconstitutional and will be abused and expanded. Show up for work, or don’t run for Congress.
— Chip Roy (@chiproytx) April 1, 2025
Walk your kid down the hall to the daycare funded by taxpayers. Go vote. Go get your kid. Simple. NO PROXY VOTING needed!
— John (@Tazmanian5) April 2, 2025
Rep. Roy on unconstitutional proxy voting in Congress: “I believe we should show up to work. I believe, like every other single American who has to physically get in their car, go get in traffic, go show up to their job, go show up to the job site, go work all day in the sun…… pic.twitter.com/UD2ILns8Aw
— Rep. Chip Roy Press Office (@RepChipRoy) April 1, 2025
… If you are one of 435 people representing 330.5 million Americans, you can show up and do your job physically present in town.
If you have a reason why you cannot, whether you’re an expectant mother, whether your mom or dad is on their deathbed, whether you’re unable to come because you just had a child and you’re a dad, whether you are someone who is sick and battling cancer and needs to be in treatment. All things that have been true for time memoriam, for all of the people who have served in this body, it is important that we meet in Congress…
What is at stake here is the future of the institution.”
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Harsh, but fair. Some wonder if the House will be able to reach a quorum if members of Congress are allowed to “work from home.”
100% agree. This would set a precedent for government workers to work from home. Also corporations could see lawsuits that mothers could work from home. Truly a sad day for Republicans
— Jackie Lelsz (@LelszJacki62759) April 1, 2025
No proxy voting for all of the reasons above! I agree! What starts as a small noble cause for ya’ll can be perverted and abused later! We nip it in the bud now so it cannot be a standard in the future!
— Rebecca A Knox (@raknoxx) April 1, 2025
— James Ross (@JamesRo77714382) April 2, 2025
There should be NO proxy votes in Congress. No matter what the reason; if you are not there, you don’t get a vote.
— Lynda Catt (@CattLynda1) April 2, 2025
Any Rep. that supports proxy vote, is saying that they do not care about personally representing their district, and to let someone else do that.
They all should be primaried by people who DO want to represent their district by voting in person.
But that’s just my opinion.— Not the one (@JayJay95959) April 1, 2025
Serving the public is a supposed to be a personal sacrifice. If an elected representative is unable to make those personal sacrifices, they need to step down.
— Cher Gosney (@GosneyCher) April 2, 2025
If you don’t show up for your job, you LOSE your job! Now they are fighting so they don’t have to come in for work! This is getting crazy!
— Frank Anderson (@FTLA308) April 2, 2025
Proxy voting is criminal. No more. In person, or you don’t count
— Rich Griffin (@RichGriff6972) April 2, 2025
This whole issue is an unfortunate distraction. President Donald Trump just required all federal employees to return to the office — it only seems fair that members of Congress do the same.
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