Sen. Jon Tester said Thursday the funding bill needs to move forward regardless of whether the House moves on the DACA debate, explaining that the issue will be dealt with “in a responsible way.”
“We’re going to push forward, and we’ll continue to push to make sure the Dreamers are dealt with in a responsible way. I hope that Speaker [Paul D.] Ryan allows for a good, solid debate on it. I think it’s important for the country for him to do that,” Mr. Tester, Montana Democrat, said on CNN.
Mr. Tester said the spending bill is not perfect but said that it should not be held hostage to the Dreamer issue, also known as the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA). The deadline is March 5 for DACA recipients who were brought to the U.S. illegally as children.
“I think there’s some good things in this bill that help Montana, and help the country, and help rural America in particular, but there’s no doubt about it, the DACA issue needs to be dealt with,” he said.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi threatened to withhold her support from the bill if Mr. Ryan does not guarantee debate on DACA on the House floor.
• Sally Persons can be reached at spersons@washingtontimes.com.
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