Democrats hope to force vote to end government shutdown

[applegrove]

Democrats hope to force vote to end government shutdown

at Al Jazeera

http://america.aljazeera.com/articles/2013/10/4/democrats-hope-toforcevoteonspendingbillwithobscuretool.html

"SNIP...........................


The workaround solution would circumvent the contentious debates between party leaders by using an obscure legislative tool called a “discharge petition,” which would dislodge a bill from a House committee and send it to the House floor if a simple majority of lawmakers in the chamber sign the petition.

The tool is rarely used because it would require House members, in this case Republicans, to defy party leadership. But some lawmakers are confident that – given the dire situation facing the nation – the move will work.

Democratic Rep. George Miller said he was confident he could find 218 votes in the deeply divided Congress.

“We will round them up. We expect to get them in a day," the California congressman said.



..........................SNIP"


Here is a Business Insider article on the same topic:

http://www.businessinsider.com/government-shutdown-house-clean-cr-discharge-petition-boehner-pelosi-2013-10

[gopiscrap]

1. Hope it works

[Politicalboi]

2. WHEN!!!!!!!!!

They have been talking about this for a few days now. Do it, don't tease us.

Stop saying "look what I can do" and do it like Stuart.

[babylonsister]

4. Oct. 14th, the earliest, per this...

http://thehill.com/video/house/326675-dems-plan-discharge-petition-to-force-vote-on-ending-shutdown


snip//

Reps. George Miller (D-Calif.) and Chris Van Hollen (D-Md.) launched their discharge-petition effort Friday after an afternoon meeting in the Capitol, where the Democratic Caucus huddled with White House Chief of Staff Denis McDonough to discuss the party's shutdown strategy.

"It is very unfortunate that the majority of the House has not been allowed to freely cast its vote to reopen the government," Miller said. "But one thing {that's} becoming clearer is that, as the shutdown drags on, a growing number of Republican members of Congress want the opportunity to work with Democrats to end this crisis."

Under their petition strategy, Miller said, the House could vote on a clean CR on Oct. 14, at the earliest.

The Democrats had initially thought the discharge petition option was unavailable, because a bill must be at least 30 legislative days old before it can be subject to such a drive. But the Democrats have located a GOP bill introduced in March that serves the same purpose as the Senate-passed CR.

Sponsored by Rep. James Lankford (Okla.), head of the Republican Policy Committee, the bill would create "an automatic CR for any regular appropriations bill not completed before the end of the fiscal year," according to Lankford's release.

The Democrats don't intend to pass the Lankford bill, but just to use it as a vehicle to pass the Senate's CR.

more...

http://thehill.com/video/house/326675-dems-plan-discharge-petition-to-force-vote-on-ending-shutdown

[Pretzel_Warrior]

3. then they still have to grapple with the debt ceiling

[Cha]

5. Good LUck! Not worthy!

thanks applegrove