A procedural vote on a package of bills failed on the House floor when a handful of Republicans teamed up to sink the measure on Tuesday because it killed efforts to allow new parents to vote remotely.
The rule failed 206 to 222, with nine Republicans joining all Democrats in voting against the measure. Had it passed, it would have advanced the No Rogue Rulings Act and the SAVE Act, among other legislation set for floor votes this week. The rule also included a provision that would block Rep. Anna Paulina Luna’s (R-FL) discharge petition to allow proxy voting for members with newborns and any similar resolutions in the future from coming to the floor.
Luna and Reps. Tim Burchett (R-TN), Kevin Kiley (R-CA), Nick LaLota (R-NY), Jeff Van Drew (R-NJ), Max Miller (R-OH), Mike Lawler (R-NY), Greg Steube (R-FL), and Ryan Mackenzie (R-PA) were among the Republicans who voted against the rule. With a two-seat majority, Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) and House GOP leadership could not rally enough support, and the measure failed.
This is the first rule failure under Johnson in the 119th Congress. Voting against the procedural hurdle, which dictates floor speeches and amendment processes, has often been weaponized by the Freedom Caucus and other hard-line conservatives to push back against leadership-backed legislation.