House Democrats and centrist Republicans launch separate efforts to force a vote on Ukraine aid

By STEPHEN GROVES
Associated Press

WASHINGTON (AP) — House Democrats as well as a small group of centrist Republicans are launching separate long-shot efforts to force a vote on tens of billions of dollars in wartime aid for Ukraine. The move intensifies pressure on House Speaker Mike Johnson to take up the package. House Democrats are gathering signatures for a “discharge petition.” That’s a seldom-successful procedural tool that can circumvent the speaker’s control over which bills come up for a vote. For the petition to trigger action in the House, it must be signed by a majority of lawmakers, or 218 members. Shortly after, a group of Republicans launched their own discharge petition for a bill that would trim the package to $66 billion, mostly for military aid, and include border security provisions