House approves Dream Act offering path to citizenship

WASHINGTON -- The House voted last week for a bill that would offer a path to U.S. citizenship for adult children of illegal immigrants if they go to college or join the military.

Lawmakers voted 216-198 for the so-called Dream Act, the last-standing element of the Obama administration's sweeping package of immigration reforms that failed to pass this session.

Democrats argued the legislation was a matter of fairness for young people who were brought into the country illegally as children.

"They are American in every way but a piece of paper," said Rep. Luis Gutierrez, D-Ill.

The proposal would apply to adults under 30 years old who were brought to the United States before they were 16 and who have been in the country for at least five years.

It would grant conditional legal status to young adults who finish at least two years of college or military service. After 10 years, they could apply for permanent residency and citizen­ship eventually.

Republicans argued the Dream Act amounted to de facto amnesty that would encourage more people to enter the country illegally.

They also said the bill should not be passed without accompanying legislation to secure the U.S. border with Mexico and other steps to tighten immigration policy.

Reps. Shelley Berkley and Dina Titus, both D-Nev., voted for the bill. Rep. Dean Heller, R-Nev., voted against it.

Defense bill set aside

With as little as a week left in a post-election lame-duck session, the Senate remained mired in partisan gridlock.

Senate Democrats hit a roadblock in their effort to repeal the "don't ask, don't tell" ban on gays serving openly in the military. A defense authorization bill that contained the repeal was shelved in the Senate after party leaders could not agree on ground rules for debate.

Sen. Susan Collins, R-Maine, said she thought there was a deal on how many amendments would be allowed on the defense bill, an annual measure that sets Pentagon personnel and weapons policies. But Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid, D-Nev., said the GOP kept moving the goalposts on an agreement.

Saying time was growing short, Reid called for a procedural vote to bring up the defense bill. It failed 57-40, on a vote where 60 was needed to advance.

Reid voted to advance the defense bill. Sen. John Ensign, R-Nev., voted against moving it forward.

$250 checks shelved

Democrats also fell short in an effort to grant a one-time $250 payment to Social Security recipients next year.

Supporters of the checks argued that while inflation for the second consecutive year has not risen enough to trigger an automatic cost-of-living adjustment, many seniors still are facing hardship from rising medical, utility and food costs.

Republicans argued the payments amounted to an end run around the payment formulas and would only increase the deficit.

The bill was debated in the House under a fast-track process that limited amendments but required a two-thirds majority to pass. It fell short, 254-153.

Berkley and Titus voted for the $250 payments. Heller voted against them.

In the Senate, 60 votes were needed to advance the bill but the vote was only 53-45. Reid voted for the bill. Ensign voted against it.

9/11 bill falls short

Also set aside was a bill to create a $7.4 billion fund for rescue workers who have contracted health problems after responding to the 9/11 terrorist attacks.

The Senate voted 57-42 for the bill but 60 votes were needed to overcome a Republican filibuster.

GOP senators had objected to its cost. They also had vowed to block all bills that did not deal with tax cuts and spending necessary to keep the government running.

Ensign voted against the bill. Reid supported the bill but voted against it in a procedural maneuver that allows him to call it up again at a later date.

Contact Stephens Washington Bureau
Chief Steve Tetreault at stetreault
@stephensmedia.com or 202-783-1760.