Carlos Curbelo uses legislative maneuver to force a debate on DACA

Rep. Carlos Curbelo said Thursday that a group of House members intend to use a procedural maneuver to force a vote on DACA.

“The House has failed to act,” Mr. Curbelo, Florida Republican, said on CNN. “Our leadership regrettably has spent a long time trying to win the votes within the House Republican conference for legislation that never had the chance to achieve the 218 votes that are necessary here in the House.”

He said that President Trump and DACA recipients — Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals — both want to see Congress act on a permanent solution to the issue despite the numerous setbacks earlier this year. He said he and two other House members, Reps. Will Hurd and Jeff Denham, launched what’s called a discharge petition, which brings a bill out of committee without a report from the committee. If the petition gets enough votes it can trigger a floor debate.

Mr. Curbelo pushed back on the idea that House Republicans were going around House Speaker Paul D. Ryan.

“In a way it does, but in another way it actually empowers Speaker Ryan because one of the slots that we have reserved in this process … is for the speaker himself to draft a bill. He can do it in conjunction with the White House and try to win the votes of a majority of the members of the House. So the speaker is actually empowered by this process,” he said.

Mr. Curbelo said his goal is to bring all immigration measures to the floor for a debate and come to a resolution on the issue.