Rep. Mike Coffman (R-CO) has announced that he will attempt to force a vote on a bill that would protect the hundreds of thousands of people who came to the United States as undocumented minors.
Rep. Coffman tweeted:
(1/3): I have introduced the #BRIDGEAct in Congress to protect #DACA recipients
— Rep. Mike Coffman (@RepMikeCoffman) August 31, 2017
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(2/3): When I return to D.C., I will file a discharge petition to force a floor vote on the #BRIDGEAct.
— Rep. Mike Coffman (@RepMikeCoffman) August 31, 2017
(3/3): #DACA participants grew up here, went to school here, and should be allowed to stay here. The time has come to take action.
— Rep. Mike Coffman (@RepMikeCoffman) August 31, 2017
Coffman has 12 Republican co-sponsors of his legislation and will get virtually universal Democratic support. He needs 218 House member signatures to force a vote on his bill. A companion bill has already been introduced in the Senate by Dick Durbin and Lindsey Graham, and that legislation would begin just a few votes shy of the 60 votes needed for passage.
Republicans are caught in their usual immigration trap. The party is caught between the immigration hardliners and those who support immigration reform. If Coffman can get 218 signatures, his legislation stands a good chance of passage. If Republicans in Congress lead the charge to protect DACA recipients, it will humiliate this president and once again show that he has no power or influence over the policymaking within his own party.
Under Trump, the presidency has been referred to as sinking, but if Republicans and Democrats win this fight on DACA, Trump will find himself humilated again, and the presidency diminished to a historic low in the modern era of American politics.
Jason is the managing editor. He is also a White House Press Pool and a Congressional correspondent for PoliticusUSA. Jason has a Bachelor’s Degree in Political Science. His graduate work focused on public policy, with a specialization in social reform movements.
Awards and Professional Memberships
Member of the Society of Professional Journalists and The American Political Science Association