House Speaker Mike Johnson and House Freedom Caucus members are aligned on one objective this week: killing a discharge petition that would allow new parents to vote by proxy in the House.
A healthy majority of Freedom Caucus members made their opposition to the discharge petition known on Tuesday when they withheld their support on a procedural vote, threatening to turn control of the House floor over to Democrats.
Freedom Caucus members ultimately voted for the procedural motion — a rule establishing debate for a package of energy bills — but only after a contentious discussion on the House floor with Majority Whip Tom Emmer, where they demanded that leadership find a way to table the discharge petition, according to a source familiar with the talks.