House Democrats Aren’t Worried About Aisle-Crossing

“House Democrats are betting that a future Speaker Hakeem Jeffries wouldn’t struggle with the type of aisle-crossing rebellion that’s often vexed current Speaker Mike Johnson,” Semafor reports.

“That’s in part because of a House rule that’s prolonged Johnson’s problems: Any 218 House members can force a bill to the floor, bypassing leaders in the majority party. The current Congress has set a modern record for the use of this GOP leadership-defying maneuver — resulting in the passage of a Ukraine aid bill and a worker contracts bill during this month alone.”

“But Democrats don’t see much reason to fear what’s known as the discharge petition if they prevail in the midterms, and several House sources told Semafor they wouldn’t look to change it. Members of their party would have few incentives to break with Jeffries, who’d take office as the first Black speaker and lead a caucus eager to align against the Trump administration.”