Republicans Fail to Protect DREAMers, Democrats Continue to Call for Votes on Legislation to Address the DACA Crisis and Prevent Gun Violence

MESSAGE FROM THE DEMOCRATIC WHIP

President Trump created a crisis by ending the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program and gave the Republican-led Congress six months to pass legislation to allow DREAMers to remain here. This week, I was deeply disappointed that his deadline came and went without any legislation brought to the Floor to protect DREAMers and provide them with a pathway to citizenship. For months, Democrats have been calling on Republican leaders in the House to allow a vote – and we will continue to do so until a bipartisan bill is brought to the Floor. Failure to address this crisis will mean our communities will lose nurses, teachers, entrepreneurs, and other individuals who are able to contribute to our nation thanks to the DACA program. DREAMers ought to remain in the U.S. and continue to strengthen our communities.

In addition, this week the first midterm elections were held. As the 2018 elections begin, I continue to be deeply alarmed by the incredibly weak stance the Administration has taken on Russian meddling in our elections. The Intelligence Community has made clear that Russia will continue their attempts to undermine our democracy and the U.S. is not doing enough to deter this threat. This week I, along with Democrats from the Election Security Task Force, sent a letter calling on Republicans to provide sufficient funding to the Election Assistance Commission, an agency charged with helping states secure our election infrastructure. I hope they’ll work with us to protect our democracy.

Finally, three weeks after the horrific school shooting in Parkland, Florida, I have called on Republicans to work with Democrats to enact bipartisan, commonsense gun violence prevention measures. Next week, the House will consider the School Violence Act of 2018, which provides schools with additional grants to keep students safe. While this legislation is a positive step, it is not enough to prevent gun violence and ensure Americans are safe in their schools, churches, nightclubs, shopping malls, or other public places. I will continue to call for legislation supported by the vast majority of Americans, including universal background checks, closing the Charleston loophole, and a ban on bump stocks and assault weapons.

Sincerely yours,

Steny H. Hoyer

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