force the issue

idiom

: to force someone to do something or to make a decision about something

They would never have addressed the problem if that newspaper article hadn't forced the issue.

Examples of force the issue in a Sentence

Recent Examples on the Web

The question is whether GM Rob Pelinka is ready to make that move, or if Jeanie Buss (and her kitchen cabinet) are prepared to force the issue. —Mirjam Swanson, Orange County Register, 31 Jan. 2024

But Activision Blizzard declined to voluntarily recognize the union, leading the CWA to push for an NLRB election to force the issue in the weeks before today's turnaround. —Eric Berger, Ars Technica, 25 Jan. 2023

In the Senate, meanwhile, Hawley is determined to force the issue, even with little support from Republicans in the chamber. —Tribune News Service, The Mercury News, 19 Jan. 2024

This kind of effort is likely to need some kind of real-world incident to force the issue. —The Physics Arxiv Blog, Discover Magazine, 31 Jan. 2024

Adding to the complications for the speaker is calls from his right flank to force the issue of border security as part of the spending showdown. —Cnn.com Wire Service, The Mercury News, 10 Jan. 2024

Regulators unwilling to force the issue could encourage this safety-first behavior among passengers by pressuring the airline industry to offer heavy discounts on seats for younger children. —Nicole Kobie, WIRED, 12 Jan. 2024

If party leaders don’t put one or all of these bills on the floor for votes, Hawley, the Republican senator, vows to use all the instruments in his senatorial toolkit to force the issue in 2024. —Matt Laslo, WIRED, 22 Dec. 2023

While the Rams have played well recently, Matthew Stafford is a stationary target in the pocket and tends to force the issue when pressured consistently. —Eddie Brown, San Diego Union-Tribune, 9 Dec. 2023