The Biden administration’s policies towards immigration have already been seen as a stark contrast to Donald Trump’s hardline stance against immigrants and migrant workers. With Joe Biden’s immigration plan seeking to reverse the damage, House Speaker Nancy Pelosi says the plan could be split into sections in order to pass through Congress.
Last week, Pelosi said that Biden’s immigration reform plan may be split into individual pieces of legislation in order to pass through Congress. Speaking at the press conference, Pelosi’s comments follow Biden’s introduction towards his immigration proposal, seeking to fulfill promises he made during his campaign. This also includes giving a path to citizenship for people brought into the US as children by their parents, allowing immigrant workers and those with Temporary Protected Status to easily obtain green cards while undocumented immigrants can apply for green cards after five years.
“I salute the president for putting forth the legislation that he did. There are others who want to do a piecemeal and that may be a good approach too. That’s up to Congress to decide,” said Pelosi.
Pelosi added that the Democratic lawmakers could seek to pass the legislation through the budget resolution process that will eliminate the 60-vote filibuster and allow a simple majority to decide. However, Pelosi noted that whether or not the legislation would qualify for a budget resolution remains to be seen. Biden however, reportedly expressed his openness to dividing the overall proposal in an effort to pass a bill through Congress.
Aside from the immigration plan, Pelosi also said that the House also seeks to pass the $1.9 trillion COVID-19 relief plan by the end of this week as Democratic representatives aim to beat the deadline of the extension of unemployment programs. The House Speaker added that the House leadership will be in contact with the Senate leadership about what Congress can include in the relief package under budget reconciliation. This will allow Democratic Senators to pass the plan even without Republican support.
Democrats hope to ramp up vaccinations and keep unemployed Americans financially afloat as the country’s number of cases and deaths continues to rise.