A House Republican is moving forward with a discharge petition to advance a foreign aid and border security bill even as members from both parties have expressed opposition to the proposal.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) said the petition to bring his $66.3 billion military aid and border legislation could be eligible to receive signatures as early as next week, meaning lawmakers could bring the bill to the floor for a vote sometime next month. Although it remains unclear whether there is enough support for the discharge petition to be successful, Fitzpatrick said the bill is being used as a “pressure point” to urge leadership to bring some sort of legislation to the floor.
“We have to get something done,” Fitzpatrick said. “It’s existential, it’s time sensitive. Whether that’s our product or somebody else’s, we just got to get the money out the door to them.”
Fitzpatrick’s comments come after he and a group of bipartisan lawmakers filed the proposal as a discharge petition over the weekend to expedite its consideration on the floor. A discharge petition allows lawmakers to vote on legislation even without leadership’s approval, which may be necessary as House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) has remained adamant border security must be prioritized over foreign aid.
In order for a discharge petition to be successful, it must receive signatures from 218 members for the legislation to be brought to the floor. That means Fitzpatrick would need some support from Democrats to surpass the majority threshold.
However, Democratic leaders appeared to throw cold water on the centrist Republican’s proposal, instead expressing support for the foreign aid proposal that was passed by the Senate earlier this month.
“[The discharge petition] is well-meaning, but it’s not where the focus should be,” Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) told reporters on Thursday. “The solution is incredibly clear: It is the bipartisan solution that has 70 votes out of the United States Senate.”
The Senate passed a $95 billion foreign aid bill on Feb. 13 that would provide funding toward Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. However, Johnson deemed the legislation “dead on arrival” in the House because of the lack of border security policy, which the speaker emphasized must be a top priority.
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As a result, House lawmakers have been looking for alternative ways to advance increased aid to Ukraine, expressing a sense of urgency as the country continues to ward off an invasion from Russia. Johnson vowed to tackle Ukraine aid in a timely manner despite previously dragging his feet on advancing any legislation.
“I was very clear with the president and all those in the room that the House is actively pursuing and investigating all the various options on that, and we will address that in a timely manner,” Johnson told reporters after a meeting with President Joe Biden and other congressional leaders on Tuesday.
