House Republicans are preparing again to bypass Speaker Mike Johnson, R-La., by filing new discharge petitions aimed at forcing floor votes on stalled legislation to impose severe Russian sanctions and to ban congressional stock trading.
The expected moves come after Reps. Thomas Massie, R-Ky., and Marjorie Taylor Greene, R-Ga., backed a successful discharge petition to force a floor vote on legislation requiring the Department of Justice to release files related to the late convicted sex offender Jeffrey Epstein. The legislation passed 427-1.
Discharge petitions, which require 218 votes to succeed, empower rank-and-file members who are frustrated by legislative roadblocks, such as stalled bills in committee or opposition from leadership. Because Republicans hold such a slim majority, it takes only a few defectors siding with Democrats to advance a petition, as seen with the Epstein vote.
Rep. Brian Fitzpatrick, R-Pa., said late last month he would file a discharge petition to force a vote on bipartisan legislation imposing severe sanctions on countries enabling Russia's war against Ukraine, according to The Hill.
President Donald Trump signed off on holding a vote for the legislation, the Sanctioning Russia Act of 2025, but Fitzpatrick's decision reflects his desire for faster action. Senate Majority Leader John Thune, R-S.D., has said the House should take up the bill first because it includes revenue measures, while Johnson argued it would be "simpler and quicker" for the Senate — where the legislation has more than 80 co-sponsors — to act first.
Rep. Anna Paulina Luna, R-Fla., told Newsmax last month she is willing to file a discharge petition to force a vote on a bipartisan bill that would ban lawmakers, their spouses, dependent children, and trustees from owning, buying, or selling individual stocks.
Luna said she has received mixed signals from GOP leaders about whether the legislation will advance, but warned she is prepared to act independently if necessary.
"I just received a tip from a reporter that said, actually, they're trying to kill it," she said. "So, I was very proactive and filed something called a discharge petition. If I smell any funny business, I will be bringing that forward."
The Restore Trust in Congress Act, introduced by Reps. Chip Roy, R-Texas, and Seth Magaziner, D-R.I., has 101 co-sponsors, including 21 Republicans, among them hard-line conservative Reps. Ralph Norman, R-S.C., and Nancy Mace, R-S.C.
Johnson in May expressed support for banning members of Congress from trading individual stocks, noting he doesn't want any "impropriety," according to The Hill. However, he added he has "some sympathy" for the "counterargument" that lawmakers' salaries have been frozen since 2009 while inflation has risen.
"The largest obstacle to getting this done is that Speaker Johnson needs to decide what he's going to do, right?" Magaziner told MS NOW, according to The Hill.
Rep. Alexandria Ocasio-Cortez, D-N.Y., who supports the bill, previously told The Hill that the discharge petition "is one of the only mechanisms that we have for, you know, frankly, working-class members to try to fix this institution and prevent insider trading."
Michael Katz ✉
Michael Katz is a Newsmax reporter with more than 30 years of experience reporting and editing on news, culture, and politics.
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