An agreement between Speaker Mike Johnson and Rep. Anna Paulina Luna to rely on vote “pairing” for recent and expecting parents falls short of making Congress a more welcoming place for them, Rep. Brittany Pettersen said Monday.
Pettersen, a Colorado Democrat, partnered with the Luna, R-Fla., this Congress to push for changing House rules and allow new mothers and fathers to vote by proxy. Facing headwinds from GOP leadership and the House Freedom Caucus, Luna and Pettersen vowed to fight on, only for Luna to cut a deal over the weekend with Johnson, stymieing the proxy-voting effort.
In a statement posted to the social platform X on Monday, Pettersen was diplomatic and also expressed disappointment.
