Democrats Move to Force Vote to End Shutdown

Greg Sargent: “House Democratic leaders believe they have hit on a new way to potentially force House Republican leaders into allowing a vote on a ‘clean CR’ funding the government without any defunding of Obamacare attached.”

Democrats would used a “discharge petition,” which forces a House vote if a majority of Representatives signs it, to try to force the issue.

“Previously, it was thought this could not work, because a discharge petition takes 30 legislative days to ripen, so if this were tried with the clean CR that passed the Senate, this couldn’t bear fruit until some time in November. But now House Democrats say they have found a previously filed bill to use as a discharge petition — one that would fund the government at sequester levels.”

Roll Call has more on the procedural move.