A discharge petition in the U.S. House of Representatives, aimed at forcing a vote on military aid to Ukraine and the imposition of new sanctions against Russia, has gathered the necessary 218 signatures. The New York Times reports this, according to UNN.
The bipartisan initiative, aimed at forcing a vote on a bill to provide Ukraine with new American security assistance, has gathered the 218 signatures required to bring the issue to a floor vote—marking the latest in a series of instances where rank-and-file lawmakers have wrested control of the House agenda from Republican leaders
The bill had remained stalled for months as its supporters fell just one signature short of bypassing leadership and ensuring a swift decision.
But on Wednesday, Representative Kevin Kiley, an independent from California who caucuses with the Republicans, joined the initiative, known as a discharge petition, which mandates a vote and starts a clock that will force House leaders to bring the bill to the floor as early as the end of the month.
The bill has little chance of passing given broad Republican opposition, including from President Trump. However, the success of the discharge petition dealt another blow to Speaker Mike Johnson, who is struggling to maintain control over his caucus and the House of Representatives given his razor-thin majority
The bill provides $1.3 billion in security assistance to Kyiv and up to $8 billion in additional support in the form of direct loans. It also aims to replenish U.S. weapons stockpiles, create funding mechanisms for post-war reconstruction, and impose new sanctions against Russia and entities supporting its military actions.
The petition was signed by all Democrats, as well as two Republican representatives—Don Bacon of Nebraska and Brian Fitzpatrick of Pennsylvania. Given the Republican Party's slim voting margin, these signatures, along with Mr. Kiley's, were enough for the petition to reach the required number of votes to bring the bill to the floor.
As a reminder
The draft U.S. budget for 2027 tentatively does not include separate funding for the Ukraine Security Assistance Initiative (USAI).