House Speaker Mike Johnson told reporters that he does not intend to introduce the aid package for Ukraine and Israel that was approved by the Senate.
"I certainly don't," Johnson said when asked if he planned to bring the bill to the House floor.
Meanwhile, Politico writes that Democrats hope to "corner" the House speaker to organize a vote on the bill.
"Democrats hope to 'back Johnson into a corner' by pushing a procedural maneuver known as a discharge motion, which would allow them to hold a vote on the bill passed by the Senate," the publication writes.
A motion to discharge is a procedure that allows an issue to be brought to the House floor without prior consideration by a specialized committee. It can be filed only after the bill has been in committee for at least 30 legislative days.
However, this procedure requires the signatures of a majority of congressmen in the lower house. Therefore, Democrats need to get some House Republicans to sign the bill.
Politico reports that some Republicans have held quiet talks with Democrats on how to proceed, but so far no Republicans have directly joined them.
Thus, the question of the procedure for consideration bypassing the speaker and the relevant committee is still in question. And, in any case, at least 30 plenary days must pass before this option becomes possible.
