The petition marks Democratic leadership’s first legislative pushback against the budget bill after months of criticizing Republicans through town halls and social media posts promising that Democrats would oppose the GOP’s plans to renew Trump’s tax cuts alongside his border and defense priorities.

During a speech on Trump’s first 100 days in office, House Minority Leader Hakeem Jeffries (D-NY) said Democrats would “lay out a blueprint for a better America” over the next 100 days. However, it was unclear how the Democrats would do so, whether by following in national Democrats’ footsteps and releasing a platform document via social media or through legislative action.

Rep. Brendan Boyle (D-PA), ranking member of the Budget Committee, is leading the Hands Off Medicaid and SNAP bill along with Rep. Frank Pallone (D-NJ), Energy and Commerce Committee ranking member, and Rep. Angie Craig (D-MN), Agriculture Committee ranking member.

Democrats hold virtually no political power due to the Republican trifecta, but a discharge petition is one of the few ways they can force a vote on their bills while in the minority. The petition must reach 217 signatures to force Johnson to call a vote on the legislation.

However, Republicans have used the Rules Committee in weeks past to crush discharge petitions that they disagree with, including one from its conference member, Rep. Anna Paulina Luna (R-FL). Luna reached the 218 signatures on the bipartisan discharge petition to force a vote on remote voting for new parents, but constitutional conservative lawmakers threatened to hold up the floor if Johnson allowed her bill to come forward.

Leadership worked with Rules Committee Republicans to insert language in a procedural rule vote to kill Luna’s proxy voting bill, but that rule vote failed. Eventually, Luna pulled her bill after coming to an agreement with Johnson and Trump.

Given leadership’s opposition to discharge petitions, calling them a “tool of the minority,” Democrats will find it very difficult to get their legislation on Medicaid and SNAP to the House floor.

Johnson can only lose three votes on any given measure to pass legislation along party lines. Democrats currently have 213 seats, so they would need five Republicans to sign their petition. However, some centrist Republicans concerned about cuts to the beneficiary programs, such as New York Republicans or Rep. Don Bacon (R-NE), could sign the petition if they don’t see guarantees in the megabill.

“All we need are four House Republicans to join Democrats in protecting the health care and nutritional assistance of the American people,” Jeffries said.

Bacon, along with Reps. Zach Nunn (R-IA) and Derrick Van Orden (R-WI), has signed onto a procedural resolution separate from Democrats’ petition that seeks to prevent cuts to Medicaid and SNAP benefits in the GOP legislation.

Van Orden told reporters Tuesday that he was not worried about blowback from his GOP colleagues after signing on to the point of order.

“I don’t care,” Van Orden said. “I don’t work for them, I work for the people of the 3rd Congressional District for the state of Wisconsin. I don’t work for a single person up here, unless one of my constituents is visiting.”

He said his top priority is taking care of the seniors, farmers, and factory workers in his district.

“Their opinion is completely irrelevant,” he said of his Republican colleagues.

Jeffries said he thinks Bacon, Nunn, and Van Orden should join the discharge petition.

“Those three members need to support the discharge petition that has been filed, because it’s right. The point of order that those three Republicans filed won’t ripen until at least 30 legislative days. It’s not a serious effort,” he said.

Several other House Republicans have also written letters to the speaker, letting leadership know that they will oppose any significant cuts to benefits.

“This latest resolution just falls right into this same, you know, inauthentic action,” Whip Katherine Clark (D-MA) said. “If you actually want to protect healthcare in this country, and you actually think that this is terrible for working families out there, to take away their healthcare and food programs in order to have tax cuts for the very wealthiest, then vote on it. Vote on it.”

“Don’t file something that becomes ripe 30 legislative days from now,” Clark added. “Let’s do it this week.”

Democrats said they know some Republicans are in line with their position. Craig said she doesn’t think people such as Rep. Glenn Thompson (R-PA), Agriculture Committee chairman, want to cut benefits.

“I believe that Chairman Thompson does not want to, but I also believe that Chairman Thompson is going to be rolled by Republican leadership, is going to be rolled by the White House,” Craig said.

THE FOUR FACTIONS SPEAKER JOHNSON MUST PLEASE TO PASS TRUMP’S BUDGET MEGABILL

The Energy and Commerce, Agriculture, and Ways and Means committees are expected to hold hearings on their portions of the bills next week, delaying leadership’s ambitious timeline to have the reconciliation bill on Trump’s desk by Memorial Day. Now, lawmakers are shooting for the bill to pass the House by the holiday, with the hope of sending it to the White House by July 4.

Lawmakers are set to go on a one-week recess for Memorial Day, but House leadership may force members to remain in session that week if lawmakers don’t reach their goals in time.