House Republicans Lose a Floor Vote, End the Work Week on a Tuesday

House Republican leadership called it quits for the week after Rep. Anna Paulina Luna led a bipartisan effort to tank a vote that would have effectively killed her discharge petition to allow new parents to vote remotely.

Congress Tariffs

House Speaker Mike Johnson attends during a press conference on Capitol Hill. J. Scott Applewhite/AP

After nine Republicans joined all Democrats to tank a procedural vote Tuesday afternoon, Speaker Mike Johnson had a novel solution: everyone go home.

“We can’t have any further action on the floor this week,” Johnson told reporters after a rule, which would have killed a discharge petition from Rep. Anna Paulina Luna to allow new parents to vote remotely for 12 weeks, failed 206-222.

“It was very unfortunate,” a visibly frustrated Johnson said as he left the House chamber. “We’ll regroup and come back and we’ll have to do this again.”