House Democrats Introduce Discharge Petition In Last-Ditch Effort To Force Vote On Immigration

The Washington Post reports that House Democrats gathered on the steps of the Capitol building on Wednesday to announce that they would attempt a long-shot procedural effort to force a vote on a Democrat-sponsored immigration reform bill in the chamber. They plan to introduce a discharge petition -- a rarely successful tactic by which representatives can circumvent House leaders and force a vote on a bill by collecting the signatures of 218 lawmakers, or the absolute majority of the chamber’s members -- for what will be the third time in six months.

The White House praised the plan. In a statement, President Obama called immigration reform “the right thing to do for our economy, our security and our future," adding, "A vast majority of the American people agree. The only thing standing in the way is the unwillingness of Republicans in Congress to catch up with the rest of the country." But the measure stands little chance of succeeding. With 199 seats held by Democrats in the House, at least 19 Republicans would need to defy their party’s leadership and sign. None have said they will.

The Post notes that House Minority leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) told Sirius XM Radio earlier this month that Democrats would “never get to 218 [signatures] on the discharge petition,” but pointed to pressure from immigrant-advocacy groups to do whatever they could to force a vote. The bill Democrats are seeking to pass -- HR 15, or the Border Security, Economic Opportunity, and Immigration Modernization Act -- is identical to the comprehensive package passed by the Senate last summer, but with the Senate’s last-minute “border surge” amendment replaced with an earlier, sparer House bill on border security.