WASHINGTON — House Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., struck a deal with Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., over her push to allow new parents to vote remotely in a compromise that GOP leaders hope will appease all factions of the Republican conference and unfreeze action on the House floor.
Under the deal, Johnson and Luna have agreed to formalize a procedure known as “vote pairing,” three sources familiar with the decision confirmed to the Deseret News. Johnson announced the deal during a virtual meeting with Republican lawmakers on Sunday, and details of the agreement are likely to be worked out this week.
Luna later confirmed the deal in a post on X, noting the agreement would not only benefit new mothers and fathers but would be an option for “the entire conference to use when unable to physically be present to vote: new parents, bereaved, emergencies.”
“Thanks to POTUS and his support of new moms being able to vote when recovering from child (birth) as well as those who worked hard to get these changes done,” Luna said. “If we truly want a pro-family Congress, these are the changes that need to happen.”
As part of the deal, Luna will not force a vote on her discharge petition that would specifically allow new parents to vote by proxy for up to 12 weeks — a bid that has caused tension between GOP leadership and some among the rank and file.
What is “vote pairing” and how does it work?
Through “vote pairing,” members who are absent can work out an agreement with a lawmaker on the opposite side of an issue to cancel out each other’s votes.
For example, if one member must be absent due to a family emergency but wishes to vote in favor of a bill coming to the floor, that lawmaker can ask another member who plans to oppose to instead vote “present” or abstain altogether. That way, the pair cancel each other out without affecting the final outcome.
The practice of vote pairing has been around for decades, although it hasn’t necessarily been formalized as an official practice.
One of the most recent examples of vote pairing occurred in 2018 when Sen. Lisa Murkowski agreed to vote “present” on the confirmation of Supreme Court Justice Brett Kavanaugh to cancel out Sen. Steve Daines, who was absent for his daughter’s wedding. Murkowski was originally planning to vote against.
“I have extended this as a courtesy to my friend. It will not change the outcome of the vote,” Murkowski said on the Senate floor at the time to explain her vote. “But I do hope that it reminds us that we can take very small, very small steps to be gracious with one another and maybe those small, gracious steps can lead to more.”
Johnson hopes to unlock floor to advance Trump agenda
Johnson hopes the compromise with Luna will unlock the House floor, which was thrown into a standstill last week over disagreements on how to proceed on proxy voting.
Nine Republicans joined all Democrats in voting down a bid by GOP leaders to nullify Luna’s proxy voting measure, effectively freezing floor action in response. The failed effort prompted Johnson to cancel votes for the rest of the week, delaying action on two major cornerstones of President Donald Trump’s agenda: the SAVE Act, which would ban noncitizens from voting, and the No Rogue Rulings Act, which would restrict judges from blocking his presidential executive orders.
Now with the tentative agreement, Johnson hopes to pass both those bills this week before Congress adjourns for a two-week recess.