House Democratic leadership—Nancy Pelosi and Whip Steny Hoyer—have made it official. They are telling Democrats to vote “no” on the spending bill because Speaker Paul Ryan continues to refuse to allow a real vote on immigration.
x
From the House Dem whip notice:”Unlike in the Senate, there is no agreement that the House will even consider legislation to protect DREAMers.””By leaving this vital issue unresolved, this package leaves DREAMers isolated, without a path to resolution in the House.”
— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) February 8, 2018
Ryan sent out a new statement Thursday morning, saying “To anyone who doubts my intention to solve this problem and bring up a DACA and immigration reform bill, do not.” Except that he gave himself an escape clause: “We will bring a solution to the floor, one that the president will sign.”
As of now, Trump is still insisting on his “four pillars” for any immigration bill, his white supremacist wish list that would destroy every principle of modern-day immigration policy.
Immigration activist Joe Sudbay reports that moderate Republicans who support the Dream Act have been sending letters to Ryan, urging him to let the bill come to the floor. Democrats can leverage that Republican demand, they can use it to strengthen their opposition. Lord knows, trying to get those Republicans to do more than quietly complain is a stretch, but Democrats can still point to their colleagues in making their case to bring the Dream Act to the floor.
It’s all up to Ryan. Is he going to actually be the speaker of the House, or is he going to be Trump’s puppet?