Staff Reports
A gutsy GOP move: Fitzpatrick pushes for foreign aid and border security, facing off against opposition from both sides
In a daring display of determination, Representative Brian Fitzpatrick (R-PA) is barreling forward with a discharge petition to push through a whopping $66.3 billion military aid and border security bill. This bold move has ruffled feathers as some members from both sides of the aisle have expressed their disdain for the proposal.
Fitzpatrick, armed with unwavering resolve, announced that the petition could start raking in signatures as early as next week, setting the stage for a potential floor vote on the bill in the following month. With the odds stacked against him, the congressman defiantly asserts that the bill is a “pressure point” to twist the leadership’s arm into bringing some form of legislation to the floor.
“We have to get something done,” Fitzpatrick insisted. “It’s existential, it’s time sensitive. Whether that’s our product or somebody else’s, we just got to get the money out the door to them.”
Fitzpatrick’s audacious move comes hot on the heels of his and a group of bipartisan lawmakers’ filing of the proposal as a discharge petition over the weekend, a radical move that allows lawmakers to bypass the leadership’s approval and bring the legislation to the forefront. This headstrong approach might be necessary, given the rigidity of House Speaker Mike Johnson (R-LA) in prioritizing border security over foreign aid.
To succeed in this daring quest, Fitzpatrick needs to garner signatures from 218 members for the legislation to see the light of day. This means that the centrist Republican will have to rally some support from across the aisle, a tall order in these deeply divided times.
The Democrats, as expected, have pushed back against the formidable show of strength from Fitzpatrick, instead throwing their weight behind the foreign aid proposal that secured approval in the Senate just weeks ago. Democratic Caucus Chairman Pete Aguilar (D-CA) dismissed the discharge petition as well-intentioned but misguided, emphasizing the need to stick with the Senate’s bipartisan solution that seized a staggering 70 votes.
The Senate passed a generous $95 billion foreign aid bill earlier this month, earmarking funds for Ukraine, Israel, and Taiwan. Nevertheless, Johnson swiftly trampled on the Senate’s efforts, dismissing the bill as “dead on arrival” in the House due to its lack of provisions for border security, a point he hammered home as non-negotiable.
House lawmakers are now scrambling for an alternative route to advance aid to Ukraine, feeling the pressure as the country braces itself against the threat of Russian aggression. Johnson, after dragging his feet on advancing any legislation, has promised to deal with Ukraine aid in a timely manner, striving to mend the delay.
“I was very clear with the president and all those in the room that the House is actively pursuing and investigating all the various options on that, and we will address that in a timely manner,” Johnson assured after a high-stakes meeting with President Joe Biden and other congressional leaders.
