After Speaker MAGA-Mike Johnson put out a statement vowing to kill the Senate's foreign aid bill as he continues to take direction from Dear Leader Trump, Nancy Pelosi told CNN that Leader Jeffries hasn't ruled out using a discharge petition to force a vote on the House floor.
Here's the statement from Johnson:
Pelosi also proceeded to give Johnson a lesson in counting votes and building consensus, none of which I expect to be heeded by Johnson. Here's the exchange with Pelosi and CNN's Anderson Cooper:
COOPER: As you know, the senate was working through the weekend to try to make progress on a foreign aid bill with assistance to Ukraine and Israel. Do you think Speaker Johnson will bring that bill to the House floor if it passes the Senate?
PELOSI: Well, he says no, but let's just see when it passes the senate. Public sentiment is saying what, what is it going on here? You know, what is going on here? Now, one thing that about all that, that is really sad is that the president, President Biden for long time has had in that let legislation, humanitarian assistance to people in Gaza and that would be at risk as well.
Ukraine, it's a moral responsibility. I mean, it's in our interest to help Ukraine. It's in our interest to help Ukraine. The aid to Israel is something that we're committed to, but we also have, are concerned about the hostages and we're concerned about the people of Gaza and their need for humanitarian assistance. This is not how conflict should be resolved in this way with people, innocent civilians dying in those numbers, but they do need humanitarian assistance. But that's being held up as well
COOPER: Speaker Johnson had said he will not bring it bring it up.
PELOSI: Our leader, Hakeem Jeffries said that he is not has not ruled out using a discharge petition, which is a parliamentary maneuver to try to bring a bill to the floor, and also to just see where all of the Republicans on this, because we've had over 300 votes assistance to Ukraine, strong bipartisan support for that in the Congress. So this isn't a partisan issue in most respects, but it is. You saw the other day they brought up two bills. They didn't have the votes for. Come on.
COOPER: What do you think a Speaker Johnson? I mean, you would not have brought up bills you didn't have the votes for.
PELOSI: Never. Never. But what I say is, I mean, I wish him well, he's the Speaker of the House. I wish him well. I wish we could find a path. I offered help any way I could, but I think the Republicans wanted Trump as their Speaker...
COOPER: So you offered to help him count votes?
PELOSI: Well, you know, the thing about it is, I'll just use this word that is really lacking on the Republican side, both in the Congress and with what's-his-name that used to be president? Respect.
Respect your members. Listen to their concerns. Build your consensus, and then you come to the floor with the votes, but you don't come to the floor without the votes and then say, oh, I thought, I thought it was going to be different.
No, this is objective numbers... objective numbers, and then in terms of respect, the president has, doesn't respect the Congress. He doesn't, well, I don't know what his attitude is to the court. He appointed them. I guess he expects that they owe him or something.
He doesn't respect our global relationships. He doesn't respect our commitment to NATO. So, it's the lack of respect across the board personally, politically, globally, and in so many ways.
And I just wish it were different. I pray for the president all the time. I pray that he would open his heart to wisdom, his mind to wisdom, his heart to goodness, but it's a hard sell.
Sounds like Pelosi and Jeffries are counting votes themselves. I assume it's the only way we're going to see the aid pass. We'll see how long the shelf life for Johnson is after this fiasco.
