House has competing petitions to vote on foreign aid despite Johnson opposition

[RAY BOGAN]

Rank and file members of the House of Representatives have brought forward two competing discharge petitions to go around Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., and bring a foreign aid package up for a vote. 

The first discharge petition would force a vote on the Senate foreign aid bill that provides funding for Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan. It is sponsored by Rep. James McGovern, D-Mass., the ranking member of the Rules Committee. 

The second discharge petition, sponsored by Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., would also provide aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan, and in addition include measures to increase security at the southern border. 

For either one of these discharge petitions to be successful they need a simple majority, which due to recent resignations is 216. 

Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas, who heads a new working group of Democrats for border security, said he prefers the original border deal negotiated by Sens. Chris Murphy, D-Conn., and James Lankford, R-Okla because he believes it’s more comprehensive.  But if the Fitzpatrick bill came up for a vote he would support it. 

[Rep. Henry Cuellar, D-Texas]

“Senator Lankford, Murphy, they all work together to put something together, along with the administration. I’ve seen it, it is one of the strongest border security bills that we have,” Cuellar said. “But if the other one would come up, it was on the floor, I would support it.” 

[RAY BOGAN]

Cuellar also said it’s up to Fitzpatrick to get enough Republicans to get it done. Fitzpatrick disagrees. 

[Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.]

“We can’t say it’s on any one party to get this done. We can’t. In a two vote margin, with divided chambers, this has got to be a two party solution, that’s the only way it happens,” Fitzpatrick told SAN.  

[RAY BOGAN]

Speaker Mike Johnson opposes discharge petitions. By their nature, they force the House to vote on a bill he won’t bring forward. 

But Congressman Dan Crenshaw also opposes both the Senate and Fitzpatrick bills and doesn’t think any Republicans should support them. 

He says he’s optimistic something better will be brought forward. 

[Rep. Dan Crenshaw, R-Texas]

“I think more to come in the following week, but we can definitely do better,” Crenshaw said. “Better would look like, you know, still support Ukraine which pay for it with Russian frozen assets, and you do something on the border.” 

[RAY BOGAN]

But Fitzpatrick says any new proposal would be even harder to pass than the two that are already in circulation. 

[Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.]

“Any bill that gets introduced now is going to require to be put on suspension, which needs 290 votes. To have a border, Ukraine bill that gets 290 votes, that’s probably not going to happen,” Fitzpatrick said. “So I don’t think that’s a wise effort at this point.”