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ckkatz3/12/2024 8:39:30 pm PDT

You may remember some discussion earlier about the possibility of discharge petitions in the House to force a vote on Foreign Aid.

There are now two discharge petition efforts floating around the House. One by the Democrats and one by the GOP that is less favored by the Democrats.

ABC News:House Democrats and centrist Republicans launch separate efforts to force a vote on Ukraine aid
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WASHINGTON — House Democrats and a small group of centrist Republicans on Tuesday launched separate long-shot efforts to force a vote on tens of billions of dollars in wartime aid for Ukraine, intensifying pressure on Speaker Mike Johnson to take up the foreign funding package.

Democrats, as the minority in the House, began gathering signatures to force a floor vote on the Senate’s $95 billion package of aid for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan through a “discharge petition” — a seldom-successful procedural tool that can circumvent the speaker’s control over which bills come up for a vote. Shortly after, a group of Republicans launched their own signature drive for a proposal that would trim the package to $66 billion, mostly for military aid, and include border security provisions.

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For either petition to trigger action in the House, it must be signed by a majority of lawmakers, or 218 members. With Republicans controlling the House 219-213, at least some Republicans would have to buck their leadership and sign the Democratic-backed petition, which includes $60 billion for Ukraine, to reach a majority. Plus, some progressive Democrats are unlikely to sign on because the legislation includes military aid for Israel.

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A group of centrist Republicans began gathering signatures for their own discharge petition effort. Their proposal would provide $48 billion for Ukraine, mostly by sending ammunition and weaponry. It would also for one year require that asylum seekers remain in Mexico while their cases are decided. Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, a Pennsylvania Republican, led that effort. It gained support from six Republicans and six Democrats on Tuesday.

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