Debt ceiling showdown: Democrats explore options to avoid financial crisis.

Democrats have revealed a plan to use a little-known tool called a "discharge petition" to force a vote on the debt ceiling bill, which most Republicans want to avoid. The petition requires signatures from 218 members, a majority of the chamber, to force a vote on the floor, regardless of whether the speaker or majority leader wants that to happen. The bill in question is the Breaking the Gridlock Act, which has nothing to do with the debt limit, but it will need to be amended to raise the debt ceiling. Democrats only have a few weeks to act before Treasury's June 1 deadline, and the process is long.