As President Biden cuts his Asia-Pacific trip short to return to Washington for face-to-face negotiations to lift the debt ceiling, Democratic members of the House of Representatives continue to call for using a “discharge petition” as a backup plan to raise if negotiations fail.
This little-known and rarely used legislative maneuver could bring a debt ceiling bill to the floor of the House of Representatives for a vote without the approval of congressional leadership, but what happens next remains to be seen. Here are Five Facts about the discharge petition and how it may be used to end the debt ceiling crisis and avoid default.
