House Democrats want the next round of coronavirus aid to include citizenship for 5 million illegal immigrants who are considered to be among the pandemic’s “essential” workforce.
A group of 100 House Democrats sent their leadership a request to include the language in a budget resolution that would pave the way for the Senate to use a tactic called reconciliation to pass the bill with only 51 votes instead of the usual 60 votes.
The letter was delivered to House Speaker Nancy Pelosi, a California Democrat, and Budget Committee Chairman John Yarmuth, a Kentucky Democrat.
In the letter, the lawmakers called for a pathway to citizenship for “essential immigrant workers and their families,” arguing that “it is vital that we include protections for immigrant workers to secure the health of our nation and lay the foundation for a robust and dynamic economic recovery.”
The request comes as House and Senate Republicans seek to narrow the cost and scope of President Biden’s $1.9 trillion coronavirus aid proposal.
Republicans want to shrink the Biden plan to include money for vaccine development and distribution, coronavirus testing and treatment, and targeted direct payments for lower-income people and families.
A group of 10 GOP Senators will meet later on Monday with Biden, but the president and Democrats have signaled they are unlikely to back a smaller bill sought by Republicans because they believe a robust plan is necessary. They are now eyeing the 51-vote route in the Senate through budget reconciliation that won’t require GOP support to pass.
Biden’s relief bill also includes a provision that would raise the minimum wage to $15 an hour, which Republicans oppose because it would kill millions of jobs, they argue, citing Congressional Budget Office numbers.
Democratic leaders have not publicly responded to the Congressional Hispanic Caucus’s demand to include the pathway to citizenship.
Biden last month sent Congress a measure that would create a citizenship pathway for all of the nation’s 11 million illegal immigrants. But it’s all but certain to meet opposition from Republicans, who can block Senate bills through the 60-vote filibuster threshold.
Including a citizenship pathway in the coronavirus bill could circumvent GOP opposition if it is able to conform to the rules for budget reconciliation. For example, legislation passed through reconciliation must affect the federal budget.
The Congressional Hispanic Caucus urged Democratic leaders to include it in the measure.
“Immigrants have helped keep Americans healthy and safe during the pandemic & are critical for our economic recovery,” the lawmakers wrote.
Biden on his first day in office sent Congress the U.S. Citizenship Act, which would create an eight-year pathway to citizenship and a five-year wait for a green card for many of those now living in the U.S. illegally. The measure also changes the word “alien” to “noncitizen” in immigration law.
The House and Senate, both controlled by Democrats, are expected to take up budget bills as early as this week, including the reconciliation needed to pass coronavirus aid.
