Top House Republican prepares end-run around Speaker Johnson on Ukraine aid

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A top House Republican lawmaker is preparing to circumvent Speaker Mike Johnson, R– La., to force a vote on a bill related to Ukraine aid and U.S. border security.

Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., co-chair of the bipartisan Problem Solvers Caucus, said that he was preparing the legislative maneuver as a fail-safe in the event Johnson does not bring a Ukraine aid bill to the floor.

"It’s existential, it’s time-sensitive. Whether it’s our [bill] or somebody else’s, we’ve just got to get the money out the door," Fitzpatrick told reporters on Thursday morning.

Traditionally, House leadership of the majority party controls which bills get put up for a vote. However, the measure Fitzpatrick filed, known as a discharge petition, would allow rank-and-file members to force a vote on certain legislation with the support of a simple House majority.

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Before it can be activated, however, the measure must sit in the House Rules Committee untouched for seven days.

"All this is doing is adding a pressure point on something that's very time-sensitive to at least have a backstop in place. So, if nobody can come to a conclusion as to what to put on the floor, if somebody's afraid to put something on the floor,