Florida Republican Rep. Anna Paulina Luna resigned from the House Freedom Caucus on Monday night after the group moved to prevent a vote on her plan to allow new fathers and mothers to vote in the House by proxy rather than having to travel with their infants.
“For several years, I have stood shoulder to shoulder with you, from the speaker’s fight — where I was one of only 20 — to numerous efforts aimed at bringing the institutional change Washington so desperately needs. My goal has always been to work alongside like-minded individuals committed to fighting for the American people and delivering on the promises President Trump campaigned on. I have consistently supported each of you, even in moments of disagreement, honoring the mutual respect that has guided our caucus,” Luna wrote in a letter addressed to the caucus,” Paulina Luna declared.
“That respect, however, was shattered last week. 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. This was a modest, family-centered proposal,” Paulina Luna continued.
“Yet, a small group among us threatened the Speaker, vowing to halt floor proceedings indefinitely-regardless of the legislation at stake, including President Trump’s agenda-unless he altered the rules to block my discharge petition. When compromise proved impossible, our own Freedom Caucus members on the House Rules Committee and a small faction of our group advocated to change our rules of governance by tying my petition to a rule that would kill it and attaching it to the SAVE Act,” she said.
Paulina Luna added, “The intent was clear: to misrepresent me and the members supporting this pro-life, pro-family initiative one of the most significant in congressional history-as obstructing the President and opposing election integrity. This tactic was not just a betrayal of trust; it was a descent into the very behavior we have long condemned-a practice that we, as a group, have repeatedly criticized leadership for allowing. To those involved, I ask: Why? Why abandon the principles we’ve championed and resort to such conduct? The irony in all of this is that I have never voted by proxy, yet one of our own on the Rules Committee that is so adamantly opposed has done so over 30 times.”
“Chairman Harris, I appreciate your willingness to discuss this with me. This letter is not directed at you but is intended to clarify for our colleagues what transpired. Your gentlemanly approach throughout this process has been a model of integrity, and I thank you for it. With a heavy heart, I am resigning from the Freedom Caucus,” she said.
“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. To those in this group who have remained my friends and treated me with respect, I am grateful. You know who you are,” the Republican said.
“In closing, I offer this: Filing a discharge petition will not dismantle our system-whether it’s for this measure, term limits, election integrity, or anything else. Members will continue to use this tool, as I have, to represent their constituents or, in this case, make changes to encourage a younger voice in Washington, D.C. more representative of the American people,” she continued.
Paulina Luna concluded, “What does threaten our institution, however, is succumbing to the very corruption we pledged to uproot. Sadly, that is what some among us have become. The Constitution entrusts us with a sacred duty to serve, not to manipulate rules for power or to silence dissent. When we abandon that duty, we erode the very foundation we claim to defend.”