Two Democratic holdouts to sign DACA discharge petition
so close. just 3 more sigs needed.
Two Democratic holdouts to sign DACA discharge petition
https://www.politico.com/story/2018/06/05/filemon-vela-vicente-gonzalez-democrats-daca-discharge-624869
By JOHN BRESNAHAN and HEATHER CAYGLE
06/05/2018 12:40 PM EDT
Two Democratic holdouts have signaled their support for an immigration vote on the House floor, bringing supporters within three signatures of the needed 218 to trigger a showdown over the fate of hundreds of thousands of Dreamers.
Texas Democratic Reps. Filemon Vela and Vicente Gonzalez announced on Tuesday they will sign onto a discharge petition being circulated by backers of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program, an Obama-era initiative canceled by President Donald Trump last year.
"By signing this discharge petition, I do so with the intent of giving 800,000 young people — young Americans — peace of mind and the ability to remain in the only country they call home," Gonzalez and Vela said in a joint statement.
Moderate Republicans who support DACA, led by Reps. Carlos Curbelo (Fla.), Will Hurd (Texas) and Jeff Denham (Calif.), unveiled a discharge petition last month that would set up floor votes on four immigration proposals. Under the procedural maneuver, the plan with the most votes over 218 would pass.
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With nearly two dozen Republicans having already signed onto the petition — in a direct challenge to Trump and Speaker Paul Ryan (R-Wis.) — House GOP leaders have been scrambling behind the scenes to prevent more of their rank-and-file members from backing the initiative......................................