In a bold and unexpected move, Representative Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) has resigned from the House Freedom Caucus, citing accusations of betrayal, blackmail, and a departure from “pro-family” values by her former colleagues. Luna, a staunch advocate for the MAGA movement, made her exit known following her effort to champion a bipartisan measure allowing new parents in Congress to vote remotely for 12 weeks after childbirth.
This legislative proposal, co-sponsored with Democratic Representative Brittany Pettersen (D-Colo.), aimed to bring a modest, family-centered change to the House. It successfully garnered support through a discharge petition, which received signatures from over 200 Democrats and 11 Republicans.
A discharge petition is a procedural tool that allows a bill to be brought to the House floor without leadership approval if it secures a majority of member signatures.
However, Speaker Johnson disapproved of the proposal, deeming it “unconstitutional.” Representative Chip Roy (R-Texas), Luna’s former colleague in the Freedom Caucus, concurred, emphasizing the need for lawmakers to be physically present for votes, warning against potential misuse.
On March 27th, Luna expressed frustration with her party’s tactics, accusing them of backroom deals and obstruction.
@RepTimBurchett’s bill on defunding the Taliban was just threatened if he voted in favor of my discharge petition to allow new parents in Congress to vote after birth. Why would anyone in leadership think it’s a good idea to keep a bill that stops taxpayer funded terrorism off…
— Anna Paulina Luna (@realannapaulina)
March 27, 2025
The following day, she announced her intention to resign from the Freedom Caucus, warning that the House GOP leadership might eliminate her discharge petition.
I’ve approached this entire process with honesty and integrity, doing things the right way. Unfortunately, some members of the House Freedom Caucus have threatened to shut down the floor if the Speaker allows my proxy vote discharge petition to be considered. As a result, it’s…
— Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (@RepLuna)
March 28, 2025
In her heartfelt resignation letter, Luna conveyed her deep disappointment:
“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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.
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.”
