“It is important that all legislative options be pursued in the event that no agreement is reached,” Jeffries wrote.
He asked that all Democratic members “make every effort” to sign the petition Wednesday.
To force a floor vote on a “clean” bill raising the debt limit without conditions, the petition would have to have 218 signatures. Democrats would need at least five Republicans to buck their party leadership, assuming all 213 Democrats in the chamber back the effort, which is not a given.
Not all Democrats are expected to sign the discharge petition Wednesday. Some have said they want to see how negotiations unfold and to know the details of the legislation that will ultimately be attached to the petition.
Even if Democrats were to succeed in the House, it’s unclear a clean bill would advance in the Senate. Republicans there have signaled they back House Speaker Kevin McCarthy (R-Calif.) in his move to force spending cuts. Most legislation needs 60 votes to advance in the Senate, meaning some Republican support would be needed.
It’s also unclear that the process, which is cumbersome, could be completed before the nation defaults.
The petition effort follows a White House meeting on Tuesday between President Biden and congressional leaders.
Both Biden and McCarthy expressed hope a bipartisan agreement could be reached ahead of a June 1 deadline to raise the nation’s borrowing limit, though major differences remain between the two sides before a deal can be struck.
While staffers from the White House and speaker’s office are picking up negotiations, both principals were active on social media Wednesday, seeking to frame their case publicly.
“If America were to default on its debt, nearly 8 million Americans could lose their job, retirement accounts would be devastated, and we’d fall into recession,” Biden warned on Twitter, adding: “It’s not an option.”
If America were to default on its debt, nearly 8 million Americans could lose their job, retirement accounts would be devastated, and we’d fall into recession.
It’s not an option.
Party differences haven’t stopped Congress from avoiding default before — and they shouldn’t now. pic.twitter.com/m9kJ4r2tVC
— President Biden (@POTUS) May 17, 2023
In a tweet from the House Republicans Twitter account, GOP leaders noted they already had passed a bill that includes an increase in the debt limit — as well as sharp cuts in federal spending, the rollback of green-energy programs and the imposition of work requirements for some recipients of benefit programs, among other provisions.
“The American people know that House Republicans have done their job to pass reasonable legislation to raise the debt ceiling,” the tweet said. “We’re all waiting on Joe Biden and extreme Democrats to do the same.”
The American people know that House Republicans have done their job to pass reasonable legislation to raise the debt ceiling.
We’re all waiting on Joe Biden and extreme Democrats to do the same.
— House Republicans (@HouseGOP) May 17, 2023
House Democrats publicly unveiled their intention to deploy a discharge petition earlier this month.
Ahead of the White House meeting Tuesday, leaders said they were unsure whether to tell their 213 Democrats to sign onto the petition, saying they would make the decision based on how the meeting went.
At a news conference Tuesday, Rep. Pete Aguilar (Calif.), the chairman of the Democratic caucus, described the petition as a “break-glass” option.
Jeffries, in a television interview Wednesday, characterized the White House discussions as “very positive.”
“It was calm,” he said on CNBC. “It was candid in terms of the discussion. And I’m optimistic that common ground will be found in the next week or so.
Still, Democratic leaders decided late Tuesday night to tell their caucus to sign onto the discharge petition to keep the pressure on moderate Republicans, according to two people familiar with the decision, who requested anonymity to share internal discussions.
Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-Pa.), the top Democrat on the Budget Committee, is expected to introduce the petition Wednesday morning following a phone call in which Jeffries told him to proceed.
Several moderate Republicans have told The Washington Post that while they are open to signing the petition in case Congress and the White House are unable to reach a deal, they are hesitant to support it because the discharge petition does not have legislative language attached that states how the debt ceiling would be lifted.
During his CNBC interview, Jeffries underscored one of the sticking points as negotiations continue over a bipartisan bill.
“So-called work requirements are a nonstarter,” Jeffries said of the GOP provision. McCarthy, meanwhile, has said inclusion of work requirements is a “red line” for Republicans.
During floor remarks Wednesday, Senate Majority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.) characterized Tuesday’s White House meeting as “a promising step forward.”
“A bipartisan bill in each chamber that can get enough votes to pass in each chamber is the best solution,” he said.
Schumer plans to meet later Wednesday with executives of some of the nation’s largest banks to discuss the debt limit. The session will include JPMorgan Chase chief executive Jamie Dimon and Citigroup chief executive Jane Fraser, Bloomberg News reported.
Leigh Ann Caldwell contributed to this report.
