House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi staged a record-breaking, eight-hour speech Wednesday in an attempt to force a House vote on protections for the “Dreamer” immigrants – and to prove to an increasingly angry wing of progressives and activists that she has done all she could.
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As Jason Easley noted shortly after the Democratic leader concluded her remarks, “Pelosi spent more time today arguing for Dreamers on the House floor than Donald Trump spends during an entire day on his duties as president”.
She began by saying that she would lead opposition to a broad two-year budget agreement, negotiated with Republicans by her and Senate Minority Leader Charles E. Schumer (D-N.Y.), that includes several Democratic priorities but does not address the legal status of people protected by the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program that is set to expire next month.
But Politico’s Heather Caygle reports that many Democrats in her caucus are privately irritated by what they are calling a “stunt” that did nothing for illegal aliens, while handing Republicans an issue to attack them with in November.
“Honor the House of Representative and give us a chance to have a vote on the floor”, she said.
The measure would not provide a fix for undocumented immigrants brought to the U.S.as children.
The budget deal could be the key to averting a government shutdown this week as Congress must pass a new spending bill by Thursday night.
Boehner’s roughly one hour speech was dubbed a “fila-Boehner”. While the Republican side of the chamber was largely empty, dozens of Democrats trickled in to hear Pelosi, or sit behind their leader offering support.
Ohio Rep. Tim Ryan told Business Insider that while he thinks Pelosi’s speech was warranted and the right cause, it is unclear if moderate members looking to avoid a shutdown will hold the line.
Rep. Nancy Pelosi, on the other hand, is a few years older than our easily exhausted leader, and she just spoke for eight hours and seven minutes on behalf of Dreamers, immigrants, and the legislative prospects for a path to citizenship. “I keep hearing that theme – ‘opened the door, “opened the door, ‘” Pelosi said, looking up from her letter-reading”.
“We’ve had the opportunity to yield time to Leader Pelosi, and while she certainly came in to oppose this bill that we have before us, having yielded one minute to the leader is the most profound one minute probably in the history of this institution”, Waters said.
“Speaker Ryan has already repeatedly stated we intend to do a DACA and immigration reform bill – one that the President supports”, AshLee Strong said in a statement.
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Her marathon speech was unusual for the House, which does not have the equivalent of the Senate filibuster. In order for the budget deal to pass, it requires support from minority party. Once the bill passed the House, it went to the Senate, which unveiled a bipartisan deal to lift the funding caps on both domestic and defense spending, without addressing the Dreamers. “There’s no guarantee. We’ll have the debate. I believe we do”.
