Politics can be an unpredictable game. You never know what can happen on any given day.
And this Congressional Republican’s resignation news has rocked Capitol Hill to its core.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Quits House Freedom Caucus Amid Proxy Voting Clash
In a striking move, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., announced her resignation from the House Freedom Caucus on Monday, penning a letter to her conservative peers that revealed deep fractures within the group. The decision marks a dramatic turn in her ongoing battle with House GOP leadership and a handful of hardline members over a contentious issue: proxy voting.
Luna has been pushing a proposal alongside Democrats and a few fellow Republicans to let new parents in Congress vote remotely for 12 weeks around the birth of their child. The plan, which hinges on a tool called a “discharge petition,” would bypass leadership resistance by forcing the measure to the House floor if it garners enough signatures.
But her effort has sparked a fierce backlash from some on the right, culminating in a showdown that’s now driven her out of the influential caucus.
“I have consistently supported each of you, even in moments of disagreement, honoring the mutual respect that has guided our caucus,” Luna wrote in her letter. “That respect, however, was shattered last week.”
Her frustration stems from an episode earlier this month when a cluster of conservative lawmakers stalled a House-wide vote on an unrelated bill. Their goal? To pressure GOP leaders into squashing Luna’s proxy voting push—a tactic she sees as a betrayal of the caucus’s principles.
The “discharge petition” at the heart of the dispute is a rare maneuver, allowing lawmakers to bring a bill to a vote against leadership’s wishes, provided they secure support from a majority of the House. Luna defended her effort as a practical, family-friendly fix.
“Acting within the House conference rules – rules we all agreed to – I sought to bring a vote to the floor on a measure that would allow new mothers in Congress (fewer than 14 in our nation’s history) and fathers, if they choose, to vote by proxy,” she explained. “This was a modest, family-centered proposal.”
Yet, she alleges, a small faction within the Freedom Caucus went rogue, threatening to grind House proceedings to a halt—potentially derailing even President Trump’s priorities—unless Speaker Mike Johnson bent the rules to block her petition.
“A small group among us threatened the Speaker, vowing to halt floor proceedings indefinitely – regardless of the legislation at stake,” Luna charged.
While she singled out House Freedom Caucus Chairman Andy Harris, R-Md., for praise, calling his behavior “gentlemanly,” her overall tone was one of disillusionment. “With a heavy heart, I am resigning from the Freedom Caucus,” she declared.
“I cannot remain part of a caucus where a select few operate outside its guidelines, misuse its name, broker backroom deals that undermine its core values and where the lines of compromise and transaction are blurred, disparage me to the press, and encourage misrepresentation of me to the American people.”
Luna’s exit makes her the first member to leave the group in the 119th Congress. The caucus has seen others depart recently—Reps. Warren Davidson, R-Ohio, and Randy Weber, R-Texas, were ousted, while Rep. Troy Nehls, R-Texas, stepped away amid internal turmoil.
The proxy voting debate isn’t dying down, though. On Tuesday, Speaker Johnson weighed in after a closed-door GOP meeting, calling the idea “unconstitutional.”
“We addressed this in conference this morning. A couple of our, a handful of our colleagues, have gotten behind the effort, and, look, I’m a father. I’m pro-family,” he said. “Here’s the problem. If you create a proxy vote opportunity just for young parents, mothers and, the fathers in those situations, then where is the limiting principle?”
Rep. Chip Roy, R-Texas, a Freedom Caucus member and former ally of Luna’s, took to X to voice his own objections. “Respectfully to my friend – this (unconstitutional) rule would ultimately NOT be limited to moms. Cancer patients, dads, & worst of all, people who lazily abuse it (eg, voting from boats). She leaves out her discharge allows no amendments! We should show up to work/vote,” he wrote.
For now, Luna’s departure leaves the House Freedom Caucus—and the GOP—grappling with a fresh rift, as the fight over proxy voting exposes deeper tensions within the party’s ranks.
Stay tuned to the Conservative Column.
