A House Democrat said Thursday the party would try to force a vote on stalled aid for Ukraine in its fight against Russian invaders, a process that could ratchet up the public pressure on Republicans on the issue.
“Coming soon: Democrats will introduce a discharge petition to bring Ukraine funding to the House floor. I will be on line to sign it,” said Rep. Bill Pascrell (D-N.J.) in a social media post Thursday.
“The votes are there. Are there a dozen republicans with a shred of courage to sign it and help Ukraine survive? Stay tuned,” he posted.
While the gambit is unlikely to succeed — only two have worked to get a bill on the House floor for a vote since 2000 — it could raise the pressure on House Republicans, who have so far steadfastly backed the decision by their leader, House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-La.), to not bring up a $95 billion Senate bill that would provide weaponry to Ukraine, Israel, Taiwan, and humanitarian aid to Gaza.
Pascrell’s post did not give a timeline for the introduction of the petition or specifics on whether it would be for Ukraine aid only or, more likely, the Senate bill. The soonest a petition could be filed would be Friday, when the House is next scheduled to be in session, although only briefly as House lawmakers are not due back in Washington until Wednesday.
Following the loss of a strategic town in eastern Ukraine called Avdiivka and the death of Russian dissident Alexei Navalny at the suspected hands of Russian President Vladimir Putin, resupplying Ukrainian troops has taken on more urgency among the county’s supporters even as Congress is on a previously scheduled break until next week.
John Kirby, the White House’s national security communications adviser, said Tuesday Avdiivka did not fall because Ukrainians were not brave enough or not well led. “It wasn’t because they weren’t trained. It wasn’t because they didn’t have the tactical acumen to defend themselves and to defend that town. It was because of congressional inaction,” he said.
A discharge petition is used to free bills from being bottled up in committee, the usual way bills die in Congress. If a petition to discharge the committee from consideration gets 218 signatures, a majority in a full House, it can go to the floor for a vote. House Democrats currently have 212 members, though that number will rise by one when Tom Suozzi, the former representative who won his old seat back in a special election, is formally seated soon.
But the discharge petition process can take weeks and is politically fraught. Signing a petition sponsored by a member of the House party in the minority is considered party loyalty no-no if a member is in the majority, as it undermines the power of the speaker.
While supporting Ukraine aid, House Democratic Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-N.Y.) has been cautious about a discharge petition publicly, saying on Feb. 13, “All options are on the table. We’re going to utilize every available legislative tool.”
Still, Jeffries said there would be more than 300 votes for the Senate bill if it came to the floor. Johnson has said Republicans want changes in border security policy from the Joe Biden administration before he’ll allow a Ukraine bill on the floor, even after Senate Republicans, in answer to former president Donald Trump’s public entreaties, tanked a bipartisan combination border-foreign aid bill earlier.
If Democrats decide to go down the discharge petition road, it’s unclear if they even need a new petition. An existing one, though still short of 218 signatures, is on file that could spring a new bill by Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) that could be used for Ukraine aid. That petition was originally intended to be used for debt limit increase if needed, but could be repurposed.
And whether any Republicans will sign on is unclear. Two Republicans considered to be Ukraine hawks have signaled they are not on board yet. Reps. Joe Wilson (S.C.) and Michael McCaul (Texas) have both signaled they would not sign a discharge petition, with McCaul, who heads the House Foreign Affairs Committee, calling a successful one a “complete evisceration” of Johnson’s power.
In an attempt to change the political calculus, a group called Republicans for Ukraine has taken out a six-figure ad buy in 10 GOP-held congressional districts, in hopes of getting those members to sign a petition.
The members targeted by Republicans for Ukraine are Mike Gallagher (Wisc.), Ken Buck (Colo.), McCaul, Mike Rogers (Ala.), Mike Turner (Ohio), Don Bacon (Neb.), Steve Womack (Ark.), Jake Ellzey (Texas), Brian Fitzpatrick (Pa.), and Dan Crenshaw (Texas).
A recent poll by Quinnipiac University found 56% of respondents favored sending more aid to Ukraine, compared to 40% opposed.
“There’s safety in numbers, and the more Republicans who sign, the safer they will be,” said Gunner Ramer, the group’s spokesman.