In the News

Colorado Representative Brittany Pettersen, who is unable to fly to Washington, D.C., for a vote due to her pregnancy, called the House of Representatives' unwillingness to let her vote remotely "unreasonable."

Why It Matters

Pettersen, pregnant with her second child, will be just the 14th member—and first from Colorado—to give birth while serving in Congress. When Pettersen, a Democrat, was a state senator, she gave birth to her son, Davis Silverii, making her the second lawmaker in four decades to give birth during a legislative session.

In 2025, 150 women will serve in Congress. Women are nearing equality within the Democratic Party in Congress and states across the country. The 119th Congress includes 110 Democratic and 40 Republicanwomen.

What To Know

Pettersen is expecting her second child within the next few weeks.

"I can't physically be in D.C. to vote because I'm unable to fly this close to my due date," Pettersen said in a press release."It's unreasonable that the House refuses to make any accommodations for people who are pregnant or welcoming a new child. We will continue to fight to bring our resolution to the floor for a vote and will work on measures like this to make Congress more accessible to young families."

On January 9, Pettersen and Representatives Anna Paulina Luna (R-Florida), Sara Jacobs (D-California) and Mike Lawler (R-New York) introduced a bipartisan resolution to allow proxy voting for members of Congress who are new parents. In December, the four led a group of 12 representatives who urged House Speaker Mike Johnson to allow proxy voting for new parents.

Dvora Lovinger, the vice president for congressional relations and social impact for the National Partnership for Women and Families, which was key in drafting the Family and Medical Leave Act in 1993, told Newsweek the issue is not whether Pettersen and other members are paid while on leave. The problem lies in the vote.

"The National Partnership for Women and Families endorsed this bill because it's a good bill. There's lots of reasons this is important but it's really to modernize this institution," Lovinger told Newsweek. "These rules were made for a body of old white men. It's not going to work anymore. This is a simple way to make it better for new parents to be able to continue to vote while still on leave but also take care of their families."

When Representative Nancy Pelosi was the House speaker, she allowed proxy voting during the pandemic.

Pettersen told Newsweek she was "surprised that Republicans wouldn't allow" the proxy vote because "there will be, chances are, a member" that needs similar support within the next two years.

During her time in the state Senate, Pettersen was required to categorize her absence after giving birth as a "chronic illness" in order to be paid while on leave.

The new resolution in front of Congress is also cosponsored by Representatives Jimmy Gomez (D-California), Brian Fitzpatrick (R-Pennsylvania), Teresa Leger Fernandez (D-New Mexico), Juan Ciscomani (R-Arizona), Marie Glusenkamp Perez (D-Washington), Young Kim (R-California), Joe Neguse (D-Colorado) and Jeff Van Drew (R-New Jersey).

What People Are Saying

Representative Brittany Pettersen, in a press release: "Our government works best when the life experiences of the American people are represented. Enabling new parents to vote by proxy while they spend time recovering and taking care of their newborn baby is an important step in modernizing Congress and addressing one of the significant barriers young parents face to serving."

Representative Anna Paulina Luna, in a press release: "No parent should have to choose between caring for their child, or recovering from childbirth, and fulfilling their duties in Congress to represent their constituents. Congress needs to get with the times. This bipartisan proposal is vital in promoting a pro-family Washington, where every American has a voice and the unwavering representation they deserve."

Representative Mike Lawler, in a press release: "Becoming a parent is one of the great joys in life, and it shouldn't prevent members of Congress from being able to vote on critical legislation impacting their district. As the father of two young girls, I know how important it is to be with your children in those first few weeks. That's why I'm working in a bipartisan way to establish proxy voting for new parents in Congress - so that new parents can continue to vote while caring for their newborns."

What's Next

Pettersen's bill has been introduced to the House. It will need to move forward with the House Rules Committee.