Latina GOP Rep. Anna Paulina Luna Took On Her Own Party for Moms in Congress—and She’s Not Backing Down

Congresswoman Anna Paulina Luna has officially stepped away from the ultraconservative House Freedom Caucus—and the reason hits home for working mothers across the country. According to multiple outlets, including USA Today, CBS News, and CNN, Luna’s decision came after fellow GOP members tried to derail her effort to allow new parents in Congress to vote by proxy.

In a letter to her colleagues, Luna said she made the move with a “heavy heart” after members of the caucus made backroom efforts to undermine her initiative. “That respect, however, was shattered last week,” she wrote, according to USA Today.

She accused a small faction of Freedom Caucus members of threatening Speaker Mike Johnson with shutting down the House floor unless he helped block her resolution. Her statement read: “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.”

What Anna Paulina Luna is fighting for

At the center of Luna’s decision is a bipartisan resolution to allow new parents—both moms and dads—to vote remotely for up to 12 weeks following the birth of a child. Luna, who gave birth to her son in August 2023, teamed up with Democratic Rep. Brittany Pettersen to push the rule change.

Luna’s proposal had already reached the 218 signatures needed to force a vote on the floor using a discharge petition, a rarely successful procedural tool that bypasses House leadership.

The resolution would also allow proxy voting to begin earlier in cases of serious medical conditions or safety concerns related to travel.

GOP leadership pushed back hard—and made it personal

But instead of supporting a rule aimed at helping new families, Republican leadership moved to block the measure. House Speaker Mike Johnson called proxy voting “unconstitutional,” while Freedom Caucus members like Rep. Chip Roy claimed it would open the door to abuse. “Respectfully to my friend – this (unconstitutional) rule would ultimately NOT be limited to moms,” Roy wrote on X. “Cancer patients, dads, & worst of all, people who lazily abuse it (eg, voting from boats).”

Luna pushed back on those claims. She told CNN that the resolution narrowly focuses and includes specific limits. “I will not compromise on something as important as ensuring new moms can vote while recovering,” she said on X. “I believe this change will improve the institution in the long term.”

Anna Paulina Luna says GOP colleagues held the Speaker ‘hostage’

Luna didn’t hold back in describing the tactics her colleagues are using to block her proposal. In an interview with CNN, she said, “The speaker is being held hostage. You had members… threaten to shut down the House floor regardless of what agenda was being placed, whether it was the president’s or not, and that’s not right.”

She also called some Freedom Caucus members “disingenuous,” clarifying that while some members acted with integrity, a small group used their influence to create chaos behind the scenes.

This fight matters—especially to Latinas and moms

While proxy voting might seem like a niche procedural fight, Luna’s departure from the Freedom Caucus over this issue signals something bigger. As The Hill reported, she is standing up not just for herself, but for the very small group of mothers in Congress—fewer than 14 in U.S. history.

The fight has also revealed the GOP’s internal fracture between hardliners and those willing to work across the aisle. Despite being a staunch conservative, Anna Paulina Luna has found herself teaming with Democrats to prioritize something as basic as maternity inclusion.

As Rep. Pettersen told CNN, “I can’t believe that we’re, you know, these headlines aren’t going to stop. The need doesn’t stop… They should care about making sure that [their pregnant colleague] can vote as well.”

What’s next for Anna Paulina Luna—and the resolution

The House Rules Committee has already tried to block Luna’s discharge petition by embedding language into unrelated legislation. If enough GOP lawmakers break ranks, her resolution could still come to the floor.

Luna told reporters she is not giving up. “I might expand it,” she told CNN. And according to Axios, she has already weathered GOP leaders attempting to pressure Republican signatories to withdraw their names.

Regardless of party, Luna’s message is clear: New moms deserve support—not political games.

And this time, it’s personal.