US House minority leader Jeffries pressures Johnson to bring up Ukraine aid for vote next week

“The clock is ticking, and we have to get the bipartisan national security bill over the finish line before we leave town next Friday, March 22 — before we leave town,” Jeffries said Wednesday during a press briefing in the Capitol. “It’s reckless to do otherwise.”

Several prominent GOP committee heads have also stressed the importance of providing more military help to Kyiv amid recent Russian advances.

And on Tuesday, Polish President Andrzej Duda met with congressional leaders, including Johnson, to deliver warnings that a Russian victory in Ukraine would put Poland in the crosshairs next. 

Jeffries on Wednesday was quick to highlight Duda’s message, warning that a Russian invasion of a NATO ally would likely accelerate U.S. involvement, putting American troops in harm’s way. 

“We cannot allow Ukraine to be overrun by Russia, because what will happen is that American lives are likely to be on the line — unless we were to believe that if Putin wins in Ukraine, he stops there, when he didn’t stop in Georgia, and he didn’t stop in Crimea,” Jeffries said. 

In an attempt to break the deadlock, Rep. Jim McGovern (D-Mass.) this week launched a discharge petition designed to force a vote on the Senate Ukraine bill over the objections of Johnson and his leadership team. 

The discharge petition was launched on Tuesday and Jeffries noted that it has already attracted almost 180 signatures, of 218 needed.

Democrats struggle to get all 213 of their members to sign the petition given progressives' opposition to Israel aid.

"I'm not going to sign a discharge petition with Israel aid, that's my problem," Rep. Pramila Jayapal (D-Wash.), chair of the Congressional Progressive Caucus, told Axios.

Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez (D-N.Y.), asked whether she will sign on, told Axios, "I don't believe so right now."