'Slap in the face': MAGA lawmaker said to be taking 'highly unusual step' against GOP
Loyal MAGA ally Rep. Anna Paulina Luna is taking a "highly unusual step" to take on Speaker Mike Johnson, according to CNN.
Paulina, a Florida lawmaker who early on supported Trump over Governor Ron DeSantis, is pushing for a rule change that would allow pregnant women lawmakers to vote remotely.
But Johnson turned her down, saying it would be unconstitutional, causing Paulina to take a major step, the report states.
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"GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna repeatedly tried to convince Speaker Mike Johnson that he — as a pro-family champion — should back her push to allow new mothers to vote remotely for six weeks while they are recovering from birth. He refused. Then, she turned to Democrats," the outlet reported Saturday. "The House Freedom Caucus member is now teaming up with a group of House Democrats, backed by Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, on a measure that would give even more flexibility to new parents — a full 12 weeks for remote voting for mothers as well as fathers."
It continues:
"She and her lead partner on the Democratic side, a very pregnant Rep. Brittany Pettersen, plan to soon force the measure to the floor using a discharge petition, which is a highly unusual step for a member to take against their own leadership. And they believe it will pass, since only a handful of Republicans would need to join Democrats in support."
The report goes on to state that the development highlights the problem with the Republicans' "historically thin House majority."
"And it’s that same tight House math that empowers individual members like Luna to buck her own party leadership and work with Democrats," the report states.
Paulina is quoted as saying that Johnson's position on the issue is "a slap in the face to every single constituent that we’ve had that sent us to Washington DC."