Congress may start collecting signatures to consider aid to Ukraine bypassing speaker
Kyiv • UNN
Congress may start collecting signatures as early as this week to bypass the speaker and bring the bill to a vote if the speaker does not introduce it by then.
The collection of signatures to put the bill on assistance to Ukraine and other partners to a vote in the US House of Representatives, bypassing the speaker, may begin this week if Speaker Mike Johnson does not introduce the bill for consideration by then. This was stated by Republican Congressman Brian Fitzpatrick, according to the Voice of America, UNN reports.
This is a pressure point, an attempt to apply pressure to force something to be put into the voting hall,
Details
The congressman added: "If the House of Representatives cannot reach a consensus on a bill to be introduced, the alternative is that Ukraine will fail and our border will remain open. We cannot allow this to happen.
It is noted that recently, the White House and a number of lawmakers in the House of Representatives have stepped up their calls for Speaker Mike Johnson to introduce a bill to help the country and other partners.
Fitzpatrick said he is working with Johnson's office to bring the package to the House through regular channels. But if the speaker refuses to comply, supporters of the bill will begin collecting signatures for a petition to bypass the speaker as early as Friday of this week.
He added that he was "very confident" that it could get the 218 signatures needed for passage.
Recall
Earlier, Mike Johnson said that the US House of Representatives would consider additional aid to Ukraine after passing the budget to finance the US government.