A pro-Ukraine House Republican is heading an effort to break with the Speaker of the House’s obstruction to passing aid to Ukraine.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, Republican from Pennsylvania and co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus said, "We have to get something done. It's existential, it's time sensitive. Whether that's our product or somebody else's, we've just got to get the money out the door to them," he said.
Fitzpatrick says he is preparing what is known as a discharge petition, which can force a House vote if it gets 218 signatures, which would require the support of some Republicans along with all Democrats.
Asked about the depth of Republican support, he told reporters, “more than you think … a lot of people who know it’s the right thing to do.” But Fitzpatrick also stressed it was more of a measure to apply pressure on the House to get aid to Ukraine soon.
With a majority of only two seats, very few Republicans would be needed to join with Democrats to force a vote on Ukraine aid through discharge petition. Such a move would be devastating for the leadership standing of Speaker (Moses) Johnson, who is already facing doubts from many members of his conference after several vote failures despite having the majority.