One of the ways to approve aid in Kyiv is a procedure that puts issues to a vote, bypassing committees and speakers.
Lawmakers in both chambers of the US Congress are considering two ways to approve aid for Ukraine in the House of Representatives amid the fact that its Speaker Mike Johnson has refused to put the package approved in Senate in one vote. This was reported by The Hill.
The best option being discussed by lawmakers in the lower house of Congress is to use a discharge petition, a procedure that allows issues to be put to a vote bypassing a committee and the speaker.
This procedure involves collecting the signatures of a simple majority of the members of the House of Representatives, that is, 218. The Democrats already have a petition with 213 signatures, which they prepared last year during the discussions about raising the US debt ceiling.
The media suggest that some progressive Democrats may withdraw their signatures because they oppose military aid to Israel.
The publication notes that for the discharge petition to be successful, Democrats in the lower house of Congress will need to enlist the support of some Republicans. But for them it is a political risk, because in this way they “openly oppose” their leadership. Only one Republican, Greg Murphy, has publicly expressed the possibility of joining the petition.
The second alternative to approving aid to Ukraine in Congress involves passing an alternative bill that includes measures to secure the US border with Mexico and funding for Israel, Ukraine and Taiwan.
One of the initiators, Republican Don Bacon, said the package would cost about $60 billion. Of this amount, about 40 billion will go to Ukraine.
Sponsors believe their bill has a better chance of passage because it excludes funds for humanitarian aid to Palestinians in Gaza – which could vex Republicans.
As you know, on February 13, the US Senate supported a package that provides more than $60 billion for Ukraine – mainly military aid. But the Senate’s decision to appropriate the money is not enough – the bill must be passed by the House of Representatives.
We remind you that Mike Johnson said that the draft law on the allocation of aid to Ukraine without measures to solve the migration crisis will not be adopted under the leadership of their political forces in the House.
Source: korrespondent
I am David Wyatt, a professional writer and journalist for Buna Times. I specialize in the world section of news coverage, where I bring to light stories and issues that affect us globally. As a graduate of Journalism, I have always had the passion to spread knowledge through writing.