U.S. House of Representatives Democrats began collecting signatures on March 12 to bypass House Speaker Mike Johnson and force a vote on a Ukraine aid bill via a discharge petition, Reuters reported.
The so-called "discharge petition" is one of the tools that pro-Ukrainian U.S. lawmakers can use to push forward the $95 billion foreign aid bill, allocating $60 billion for Kyiv. The petition needs to gather at least 218 signatures to hold the vote, meaning it has to find support among both Republican and Democratic lawmakers.
A spokesperson for Jim McGovern, a senior Democratic lawmaker in the House Rules Committee, confirmed that the petition was filed in the morning on March 12, Reuters wrote.
Another petition was also launched by pro-Ukraine Republican Brian Fitzpatrick, which calls for a vote on the military aid for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan, as well as border restrictions while excluding humanitarian assistance to Gaza or economic aid to Kyiv.
Discharge petitions are rarely successful, however, and have only resulted in a positive outcome two times since 2002, according to CBS News.
The U.S. Senate passed the foreign aid bill in February, but Republican House Speaker Mike Johnson has so far refused to put it to a vote in his chamber, despite the pressure from the White House and other members of Congress.
Some observers and lawmakers connected Johnson's obstinance to the growing influence of Donald Trump, a former president and the most likely Republican nominee for the 2024 presidential run, over the Republican Party.
After meeting Trump, Hungarian Prime Minister Viktor Orban said that the ex-president would "not give a penny into the Ukraine-Russia war" if elected again.
Other options remain on the table to pass funding for Ukraine if the discharge petition fails. Some House Republicans are preparing an alternative proposal on Ukraine aid, hoping to bring it to a vote by late March or April.
Johnson has not expressed support for this proposal or promised to give it a floor vote, but Republicans leading the negotiations believe he will bring the plan to the floor.
Martin Fornusek
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