Democrats force a vote on $61 billion in Ukrainian aid by calling for help from a handful of Republicans after Navalny’s death prompts the US to impose 500 new sanctions on Russia

Democrats are looking for a new solution to force Ukraine’s support to the House of Representatives and bypass Speaker Mike Johnson’s hesitation.

Democratic leaders have quietly put in place the mechanisms that could advance a discharge request, which would force a vote on aid to Ukraine if a majority of lawmakers sign it.

“Soon, Democrats will file a discharge petition to bring Ukraine funding to the House,” Rep. Bill Pascrell, D-N.J., wrote on X.

“I’ll be online to sign it. The voices are there. Are there a dozen Republicans with an ounce of courage to sign it and help Ukraine survive? Stay tuned.’

“I have heard more resignation requests from foreign leaders in the last two days – at the highest levels – than in my previous 11 years as president combined,” House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries said at the UN Security Conference. Munich.

Meanwhile, the Biden administration has imposed 500 new sanctions on Russia following the death of Vladimir Putin dissident Alexei Navalny in prison and the arrest of an American ballerina who donated $51 to Ukraine.

Last week, the Senate approved a $95 billion aid package for Ukraine, Israel, Gaza and the Indo-Pacific, which Johnson has said the House will not be pressured to approve. He has said he must first sit down with President Biden to discuss the additional border measures.

GOP leadership has said they will not prioritize foreign aid until a spending plan for the 2024 fiscal year is passed. The deadlines for passing spending bills to finance the government are fast approaching on March 1 and 8, five months after the original deadline, which has already been rejected three times with continuing resolutions.

Last week, Top Rules Committee Democratic Rep. Jim McGovern introduced a resolution “to advance responsible policies,” which could be the legislative tool used to trigger a vote on the relief to Ukraine or on the Senate-approved full foreign aid deal.

If they were to pursue the Senate deal, some progressive Democrats would likely back out and vote no on opposition to aid to Israel. Aid to Ukraine itself is largely supported by the Democratic caucus.

Democrats would also need the votes of a handful of Republicans to get a majority of 218 signatures for their petition.

It is not clear whether Republicans will abandon their leadership and join the Democratic effort, although there are some moderates who have not ruled that out.

Separately, a bipartisan group is pushing for a different funding mechanism for Ukraine in a military-only relief and border security bill.

That bill provides $66 billion in defense-only aid to Ukraine, Israel and Taiwan and new border security provisions that would last a year.

It also includes a “Remain in Mexico” provision that would revive a Trump-era policy requiring migrants seeking asylum to wait in Mexico until their claims are processed. Another provision requires the Secretary of Homeland Security to suspend all entry of “inadmissible aliens” if the department loses operational control of the border at any time.

Secretary of State Michael McCaul last week proposed making some adjustments to the Senate relief bill, such as offering government aid in the form of loans instead of grants or diverting frozen Russian assets from the US’s reserves. central bank to Ukraine.

Discharge requests have rarely been successful; since 2000, only two have managed to get a bill into the House of Representatives.