Several Republican lawmakers have discussed adding a potential "pressure point" to secure funding for Ukraine, according to Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa.
The House is under pressure to pass the $95 billion national security package that bolsters aid for Ukraine, Israel, as well as the Indo-Pacific. That legislation cleared the Senate on a 70-29 vote earlier this month, but Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., has resisted putting up the aid bill for a vote in the House.
Fitzpatrick appeared Tuesday on CNN and said he spoke to "several" other Republicans in the House who are prepared to find another way of bringing forward the foreign aid bill despite the speaker's stance.
"I wouldn't necessarily phrase this as going around anybody, this is just to add a pressure point," Fitzpatrick said on "The Lead with Jake Tapper," Mediaite reported.
"The politics are very, very tough, as you are well-aware in the House," he said. "A 2-vote margin in the House for Republicans, a 2-vote Democrat margin in the Senate on very, very tough, existential, time-sensitive issues. So, we're not trying to circumvent or end run anyone. Quite to the contrary. We're trying to put an additional pressure point on something that has to happen."
Last week, an outside campaign group launched a coordinated effort encouraging a small group of House Republicans to sign a discharge petition in hopes of bypassing Johnson and bringing the Senate's foreign aid package to a vote.
A discharge petition requires a majority of signatures among House members. If it receives the required number (218) of signatures, there's a vote to determine whether a bill should be brought to the floor for a vote. If that passes, the House will vote on the Senate deal.
Conservatives have balked at foreign aid unless or until the Biden administration agrees to improved southern border policies to confront the current migrant situation.
"In the absence of having received any single border policy change from the Senate, the House will have to continue to work its own will on these important matters," Johnson said, Newsweek reported.
The discharge petition Fitzpatrick mentioned is GOP-led but would need Democrat backing.
Democrats already have a discharge petition, but with little to no GOP backing.
Rep. Jared Golden, D-Maine, who appeared on CNN with Fitzpatrick, said a smaller version of the Senate bill with border security funding, and $49 billion in aid for Ukraine was being proposed. It does not include aid to Israel or Gaza.
Reuters contributed to this story.
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