Senior Democrats are suggesting that a discharge petition could be introduced to bring a $95-billion overseas aid bill to a vote in the House of Representatives if Speaker Mike Johnson refuses to introduce it.
On Tuesday the bill passed the Senate in a 70-29 vote, but it must also be approved by the House before President Joe Biden can sign it into law.
Johnson has refused to say he would bring the bill to the floor of the House, potentially halting its passage. On Monday he criticized the legislation, which would provide an additional $60 billion of military aid for Ukraine, claiming it is "silent on the most pressing issue facing our country" in reference to illegal immigration.
However, the legislation could also be brought to the floor via a discharge petition, which would require the support of 218 members, including at least four Republicans. It would then be voted on like any other piece of legislation, though this is unlikely to take place until the end of the month because of the packed congressional schedule.
Speaker Mike Johnson on February 6, 2024, in Washington D.C. Johnson has refused to say he will bring an overseas aid bill to the House floor for a vote, sparking discussion about a discharge petition.... Speaker Mike Johnson on February 6, 2024, in Washington D.C. Johnson has refused to say he will bring an overseas aid bill to the House floor for a vote, sparking discussion about a discharge petition. More Chip Somodevilla/GETTY
Posting on X, formerly Twitter, Democratic Rep. Ami Bera wrote: "If Speaker Johnson won't bring this critical aid package to the floor, I stand ready to sign a discharge petition to get the job done. The world is watching."
Speaking to CNN on Monday former Speaker, Rep. Nancy Pelosi, said: "Our leader, Hakeem Jeffries, said he has not ruled out using a discharge petition, which is a parliamentary maneuver to try and bring a bill to the floor."
A number of pro-Ukraine conservatives have also suggested a discharge petition could be introduced, including Adam Kinzinger, a former Republican House representative and fierce Trump critic.
Posting on X, in response to comments from Johnson, who he branded an "idiot," Kinzinger said: "Time for a discharge petition, or for three republicans to vote against every rule until he agrees. You will not win unless you fight fire with fire."
Alyssa Farah Griffin, a conservative commentator who served as Donald Trump's White House Director of Strategic Communications in 2020, also backed the move commenting: "Great time for Mike Gallagher to lead a discharge petition effort to get aid to Ukraine, Israel, & Taiwan out the door."
Newsweek has reached out to the Speaker Johnson's office for comment by email.
In a statement released on Monday, Johnson was critical of the aid bill then in the Senate.
He said: "House Republicans were crystal clear from the very beginning of discussions that any so-called national security supplemental legislation must recognize that national security begins at our own border…
"In the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters. America deserves better than the Senate's status quo."
The aid bill approved by the Senate on Tuesday contains $60 billion of military aid for Ukraine along with $14 billion for Israel, $8 billion for Taiwan and under $10 billion in wider humanitarian assistance.
Last week, a bipartisan Senate bill that would have included the aid package plus a tightening of security along the southern border was rejected by Republican hardliners, including Johnson, who argued it was insufficient to tackle illegal immigration.