A must-pass House spending bill would, if enacted, legalize the employment of “Dreamers” in the legislative branch, Democrats announced Tuesday.
The proposed 2020 measure funding congressional operations and affiliated departments includes language permitting agencies to hire people who came to the United States illegally as children and who are enrolled in the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals program.
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Under current law, “Dreamers” can’t be paid by the legislative branch because they are not U.S. citizens or members and do not have the required immigration status to be on the congressional payroll.
The measure would override that prohibition.
The legislative branch funding measure proposes $1.3 billion in overall spending. It includes $11 million for paid interns, increasing funding from $20,000 to $25,000 for each member office.
