Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-Fla.) has made what is no doubt a life-changing announcement that will affect her future in Congress.
Specifically, she will soon be a lawmaker and a mother. Luna told Time magazine that she is expecting her first child — a boy — in late August.
“We are very excited to welcome our son later this summer,” Luna said, according to the outlet. “Children are a blessing and we could not have asked for a greater gift.”
Time correspondent Eric Cortellessa also noted that Luna’s pregnancy is historic.
“This would make … her only the 12th member of Congress out of more than 12,500 since Congress convened to ever give birth while in office,” he noted on Twitter in a post containing a link to the story.
The report said that Luna met her husband, Andy Gamberzky, while both were serving in the Air Force. Luna wrote a book in 2021 about the impact of post-traumatic stress disorder (PTSD) on military service members following Gambersky’s return from Afghanistan, where he was wounded by enemy combatants, Time reported.
During a hearing in March, Luna was overcome with emotion while displaying photos of babies that were aborted at full term. The remains of 115 aborted babies were found at the home of an anti-abortion activist, and no hearings or investigations have been conducted to address this shocking discovery, the Daily Caller reported.
“One of the most egregious crimes occurred in DC with absolutely no hearing and no oversight,” Luna said during the hearing.
Time magazine’s story noted further:
Roughly 28 percent of the 118th Congress is female, according to the Pew Research Center, the highest proportion in American history. There are also more millennial and Gen Z lawmakers roaming the House of Representatives than ever before, driving its median age down slightly from 59 in the last Congress to 58. The Senate, on the other hand, remains older, with a median age of 65.
Yet a younger Congress with more women could mean that pregnant legislators casting votes may become less of an anomaly over time. In fact, a quarter of congressional pregnancies, including Luna’s, have happened over the last five years. Sen. Tammy Duckworth, an Illinois Democrat who lost both legs serving in Iraq, had a child in 2018, making her the first U.S. senator to ever give birth while in office. Rep. Elise Stefanik, a New York Republican and the House Conference Chair, birthed her first child in 2021.
At 34 years old, Luna is among the younger and more diverse freshman lawmakers in Congress. Before winning office last year, she served as the director of Hispanic outreach for the conservative advocacy group Turning Point USA. Luna’s election also made her the first Mexican-American female to be elected to Congress from Florida, Time reported.
Luna has gained recognition as an adept legislator with a strong online presence on Capitol Hill. She is a member of the conservative House Freedom Caucus and secured a position on the influential House Oversight Committee during her first term. Luna’s social media skills have helped her become a viral sensation. In March of 2023, she became one of the first Republicans in Congress to endorse former President Donald Trump’s run for the 2024 presidential election.
Luna is currently part of a delegation of House members visiting South Korea, which is scheduled to return on Tuesday. Following that, she will have a busy three months in Washington before the annual congressional summer recess starts in late July.
Interestingly, the break will coincide with her due date, Time noted.
“Over the summer, we’re actually in session a lot,” she told the magazine. “Then obviously in August,” she adds whimsically, “I’ll be trying not to have a panic attack.”