Florida Republican U.S. Rep. Anna Paulina Luna has been working to get better recognition of parental support in Congress after she was told she couldn't vote if she wasn't present to do so — that's even though she was pregnant and would need time off after giving birth.
She and California Democratic Rep Sara Jacobs have even co-sponsored legislation that would allow women lawmakers who have given birth the option to vote by proxy — something that was allowed under Speaker Emerita Nancy Pelosi due to COVID but was stopped when former Rep. Kevin McCarthy became speaker. Luna's push for this legislation has been supported by members of both political parties.
In a tweet on Friday, Luna expressed her frustration over being unable to vote in the House following the birth of her son and subsequent medical problems, attempting to contrast her situation with U.S. Transportation Secretary Pete Buttigieg's, who took leave to care for his newborn twins during his parental leave.
“Pete Buttigieg got maternity leave and I didn’t. And he’s a dude. It’s time Congress gets with the times,” Luna wrote on X, formerly Twitter.
In response to Luna’s remarks, Chasten Buttigieg, Pete Buttigieg’s husband, criticized Luna and said all parents should have parental leave.
“Every parent deserves parental leave. Those first weeks are so crucial for parents and newborns,” Chasten Buttigieg wrote. “What a shame to see Representative Luna tarnish this bipartisan effort with unnecessary homophobia. ‘Getting with the times’ would serve you well, Congresswoman.”
“I’m a big proponent of parental leave. It’s an extremely important time for parents and their newborn, or, as was in our case, newborns. I am glad to see members of both parties come together and agree that equitable parental leave is deserved by all,” Chasten Buttigieg told The Advocate in an interview following his criticism.
He added that he saw the comment as a direct dig at his family.
“My kids remind me, daily, of what really matters in this world. The best thing I can do for them is to continue to show up for them and be the best dad that I can be,” Chasten Buttigieg said. “I know one day they will judge us for what we did to make the world a better place, so I’ll focus on that work and try my best to stay out of the petty fights some online or in Congress are so eager to pick. That doesn’t mean I’ll be silent when someone goes after my family, though. I’ll always stick up for my kids.”
Contrary to Luna’s claim of not receiving maternity leave, members of Congress and other eligible employees in the legislative branch have been entitled to paid parental leave since the enactment of the Federal Employee Paid Leave Act in December 2019. It amended the Family and Medical Leave Act (FMLA) to provide up to 12 weeks of paid leave for the birth of an employee’s child or for the placement of a child with an employee for adoption or foster care, as overseen by the Office of Congressional Workplace Rights.
Luna’s proposed bill allows new mothers in Congress to designate a proxy voter for six weeks post-childbirth. The bill, however, only allows this for women who have given birth, which means other types of new parents would not be allowed. Some Democrats have voiced plans to expand legislation.
