Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.) canceled half a week’s worth of House votes after failing to contain a revolt over proxy voting within his own party.
Why it matters: It was Johnson’s biggest legislative blow of 2025 thus far — and the first where President Trump wasn’t providing him reinforcement.
What happened: The House voted against blocking Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) from forcing a vote on allowing House members who are new parents to vote by proxy.
- Luna obtained the 218 discharge petition signatures needed to force a vote with or without Johnson’s assent — including from a dozen Republicans.
- The speaker, a bitter opponent to any form of proxy voting in Congress, fought to stop her anyway.
- Johnson tried to box Republicans in by tying the rule change to marquee GOP legislation requiring proof of citizenship to vote in federal elections.
The result was a 206-222 vote against Johnson’s maneuver, with Luna and eight other Republicans breaking ranks with Johnson.
- Of the Republicans who voted with Luna, only three had actually signed onto her discharge petition.
- One of them, Rep. Ryan Mackenzie (R-Pa.), told Axios the proxy voting rule change “should get its own up-or-down vote.”
- “I voted ‘no’ because I don’t like it being in a package like this and I think it should stand alone on its own merits,” he said.
Johnson said after the vote failed: “That rule being brought down means that we can’t have any further action on the floor this week.”
- Johnson said it was “very disappointing” that a “handful” of his members broke ranks on a GOP procedural measure, adding, “That is rarely done.”
- In addition to the noncitizen voting bill, Johnson said the House was set to vote on legislation rolling back Biden-era regulations and restricting federal judges’ power to issue nationwide injunctions.
Between the lines: Johnson’s hardball tactics may have actually backfired on him, layering personal anger on top of procedural objections.
- Rep. Max Miller (R-Ohio) said of his vote against the speaker on Tuesday: “I would ask [Johnson] why he tried to do this.”
- Several GOP lawmakers expressed a feeling that the speaker was being heavy-handed in trying to override the will of a majority of the House.
Zoom out: Despite a rocky 118th Congress with many failures, Johnson had been able to repeatedly defy political gravity this year.
In all those fights, he had a secret weapon: President Trump, who had a vested interest in the outcome of each and made calls on Johnson’s behalf.
- The proxy voting fight was entirely a House matter in which Trump had effectively no stake.
- Rep. Tim Burchett (R-Tenn.), one of Luna’s closest allies, told Axios “no way” when asked if the president made any calls to members this time.
What’s next: Johnson technically has two legislative days to bring Luna’s rule change up for a vote, but GOP lawmakers aren’t sure whether he will try to pull more tricks out of his sleeve to keep it from coming to the floor.
- “This rules package vote was something that was a new development,” said Mackenzie, “so I wouldn’t even hazard a guess what the next step is.”
- Nonprofit news outlet NOTUS reported that Johnson plans to keep trying to pass procedural motions to kill Luna’s rule change until one passes.
- House Majority Whip Tom Emmer (R-Minn.), asked if Republicans will keep trying to kill Luna’s measure, told Axios: “We’ll see. … Mike Johnson has made it clear he’s not going to support the proxy [voting].”
Part of that may be due to pressure from the Freedom Caucus, which staunchly opposes proxy voting and could, in theory, band together to try to oust Johnson as speaker.
The bottom line: “It’s very disappointing that he is putting Republican members in this position,” one House Republican complained to Axios, “for no reason whatsoever other than what I believe is him protecting his job.”
