House Democrats Try to Force Vote on Debt Ceiling
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, wrote: ’It is now time for MAGA Republicans to act in a bipartisan manner.’ Photo: Eric Lee/Bloomberg News By Natalie Andrews and David Harrison Updated May 2, 2023 12:08 pm ET WASHINGTON—House Democrats took the next step in starting a discharge petition for a debt-ceiling increase, a maneuver that could allow them to go around Republican leaders if they can win a handful of GOP votes. The petition process allows a majority of House lawmakers to bring a bill directly to the floor without the cooperation of leadership. But it is time-consuming and rarely successful, and Democrats earlier this year said they had shelved the idea as too difficult. Republicans currently contr
House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries, a Democrat from New York, wrote: ’It is now time for MAGA Republicans to act in a bipartisan manner.’
Photo: Eric Lee/Bloomberg News
WASHINGTON—House Democrats took the next step in starting a discharge petition for a debt-ceiling increase, a maneuver that could allow them to go around Republican leaders if they can win a handful of GOP votes.
The petition process allows a majority of House lawmakers to bring a bill directly to the floor without the cooperation of leadership. But it is time-consuming and rarely successful, and Democrats earlier this year said they had shelved the idea as too difficult.
Republicans currently control the House 222-213. For a petition to succeed, Democrats would need the support of at least five GOP representatives. Lawmakers can start gathering signatures on May 16, according to an aide.
“The filing of a debt ceiling measure to be brought up on the discharge calendar preserves an important option,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D., N.Y.) wrote to Democrats on Tuesday. “It is now time for MAGA Republicans to act in a bipartisan manner to pay America’s bills without extreme conditions.”
(Updates to come shortly.)
Write to Natalie Andrews at [email protected] and David Harrison at [email protected]
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