A bipartisan group of House members led by California’s Jeff Denham filed a petition Wednesday to force a vote on four immigration bills over the objections of Republican leadership.
It’s rare for a Republican lawmaker to attempt to force a vote against the wishes of a House speaker from his own party. Getting the backing of enough colleagues to actually take advantage of the arcane maneuver is almost unheard of.
The petition needs signatures from a majority of House members to be considered. If at least 18 Republicans sign the petition, it is expected that all Democrats also will sign, providing the signatures needed to force a vote.
Denham, a Republican from Turlock, said in an interview beforehand that he expects over a dozen House Republicans to sign Wednesday morning, and he’s “extremely confident” that the rest of the GOP members he needs will follow closely behind.
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