As Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) scrambles to secure votes for the congressional budget, one lawmaker's frustration over his opposition to proxy voting for new mothers reached biblical proportions.
According to multiple sources who spoke with NOTUS, Rep. Greg Steube (R-FL) erupted at Johnson during a closed-door meeting Tuesday, accusing the speaker of dishonesty and shouting, "I rebuke you in the name of Jesus!"
Steube was reportedly upset with Johnson's handling of a discharge petition to allow new parents to submit their congressional vote without being on the House floor, by proxy.
GOP lawmakers, including Steube, had pushed for a bipartisan plan to permit temporary remote voting for members immediately after the birth of a child. Instead, Johnson brokered a narrower, more complicated workaround that would allow for "vote pairing," a voluntary arrangement that critics say effectively silences absent members.
The reprimand was an aside from the meeting's focus on the congressional budget. Johnson is under pressure to wrangle votes for the controversial Senate-adopted budget, and Steube's outburst highlights broader tensions within the GOP as Johnson struggles to maintain good will among House Republicans.
Johnson had hoped to hold a vote this week, but the timeline is slipping, and with his support dwindling and frustration mounting, the speaker's grip on the budget — and his conference — appears increasingly fragile.
Originally published on Latin Times
