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Floor Speech in Support of H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act

March 18, 2021
Contact: Speaker's Press Office,
202-226-7616
Washington, D.C. – Speaker Nancy Pelosi delivered remarks on the Floor of the House of Representatives in support of H.R. 6, the American Dream and Promise Act. Below are the Speaker's remarks:
Speaker Pelosi. Thank you very much, Madam Speaker. And I thank the gentleman for yielding. Once again, I salute him for his leadership – the third bill in two days that he's brought to the Floor. Thank you. Yesterday for the ERA and Violence Against Women Act. Today, here we are in this legislation, here for the Dreamers.
Madam Speaker, this issue is near and dear to my heart, but more importantly to my head. This is so important for our country. Three years ago, I came to the Floor and I spoke about our Dreamers for eight hours and six minutes. Have no fear – I will not use my Speaker's minute to that extent today. But I wish I could because I have so much to say about what Dreamers mean to America.
So, I rise with tremendous pride, joy, and hope this day that as the House prepares to take this momentous step toward our democracy, passing H.R. 6, the Dream and Promise Act. I want to salute some of our leaders in Congress. As I acknowledged, the distinguished Chair, Mr. Nadler of the committee, but Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard, the godmother of this legislation, who carries forth a commitment to our newcomers to our country in her DNA – the same commitment of her father, the late Mr. Chairman, Ed Roybal, as he championed newcomers to our nation. She has been with this legislation for 20 years – that I know of. And it was she and Howard Berman who introduced it initially a generation ago. Ten years ago, she authored this legislation, and we were successful on the Floor.
And we were successful in passing it in the House because of the leadership of Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, but also Chairwoman Nydia Velázquez, who at the time was the Chair of the Hispanic Caucus. The Hispanic Caucus really led the way, talked to Congress about what Dreamers mean to America in case that had not been within the experience of our Members. Nydia and this legislation today – Nydia Velázquez – has the promise. This is Dreamers and Promise. She has the promise – TPS and DED – and again, very important to our country.
Yvette Clarke, from the Congressional Black Caucus, who is very much a part of all of this today, has the TPS piece of this. And I was so pleased to hear this morning the CAPAC, the Congressional Asian Pacific American Caucus, have Congresswoman Strickland, of African American and Korean descent, speak in terms of what this means to the Asian Pacific American community – something that Chair Judy Chu reminds us of every day.
So, this has now gone beyond the Hispanic Caucus, to the Black Caucus, the Asian Pacific Caucus and to all of us in the Congress. This legislation is protecting Dreamers and TPS and DED recipients, honors the truth that immigrants are the constant reinvigoration of our country, when they come here with their hopes and dreams and aspirations.
These parents bring their children, their hopes and dreams and aspirations for a better future for their children. That courage, that determination, those aspirations are American traits, and they all make America more American with all of that. Indeed, they are true and legitimate heirs, these Dreamers are, of our Founders. E Pluribus Unum, from many one. We talk about that all the time.
Many in this Chamber have been part of the fight to protect our patriotic Dreamers for years. As I said when I stood here for eight hours and six minutes, the longest record – speech on record in the House in history, about the Dreamers, I was reading letters, Members were handing me the story of the Dreamers.
And as Mr. Stanton mentioned, they are our teachers, our professionals, they're our CEOs, our entrepreneurs. They contribute to our community in every way. And I was so pleased to hear him talk about that because one of the first meetings I ever was to, about Dreamers, was under the leadership of, one of his predecessors – well not his but the predecessor of some of our Members from Arizona, that would be Congressman Pastor, Mr. Chairman Pastor. He, Mr. Grijalva and Harry Mitchell, all three, had a meeting at Arizona State University about helping these young people. That was in 2007.
So, this has been going on for a while. Next month, as I mentioned, marks the 20th year since the DREAM Act was introduced by Congresswoman Roybal-Allard, and it was on a bipartisan basis. Sadly, when we passed it 10 years ago, it was on a bipartisan basis, we couldn't prevail with 60 votes in the Senate. But since then, millions of Americans have come together to organize and mobilize for Dreamers, labor leaders, business community, faith organizations, national security officials, law enforcement and more.
We often talk about Dreamers having the support of the three B's: badges in terms of law enforcement, bible in terms of faith-based and the business community. And the true VIPs of the moment are the Dreamers and immigrants who have spoken out with great dignity and eloquence, refusing to be forced back into the shadows. This determination has made a difference. It is their courage that is sending this legislation to the Senate and then to the President's desk.
And before I close, I want to acknowledge the work of Congresswoman Zoe Lofgren, the Chair of the Immigration Subcommittee of the Judiciary Committee.
Zoe Lofgren is also the Chair of the House Administration Committee, so I call her Madam Chairwoman, Madam Chairwoman – Madam Chair, Madam Chair. She has taught immigration law. She has been an immigration lawyer. And she has – and she Chairs the Immigration [Subommittee]. We could not be better served than by her intricate knowledge of immigration law, both on this legislation, on legislation we'll take up next, or later, the farm worker mobilization legislation. So, I thank Zoe Lofgren for that.
Again, Dreamers, TPS, DED recipients are American in every way. They have lived and worked in our country for decades, if not their entire lives, and they're an integral thread of the fabric of our nation. For the Dreamers, it's less time, for others, more. Dreamers power our businesses, our economy, our CEOs, and taxpayers, all of them do. They advance innovation and America's technological edge as entrepreneurs and researchers. They protect our national security and military might as service members and civilian experts. That's why I'm so grateful to Congresswoman – Madam Chair Roybal-Allard, Madam Chair Velazquez, Congresswoman – Chair Judy Chu and Congresswoman Strickland for advancing this legislation to help Dreamers, TPS and DED recipients.
So many of the frontlines of the pandemic – they're our front line heroes: health care workers, first responders, transportation, sanitation, food workers, our teachers, our teachers, our teachers. They're so much of our country. These immigrant communities strengthen, enrich and ennoble our nation and they must be allowed to stay.
There's nothing partisan about protecting Dreamers. The Dream Act has long had bipartisan support in both Chambers. Support for DED and TPS, indeed, is also bipartisan in the country. Nearly three quarters of the public support a path to citizenship.
I always love to quote President Reagan. In his last speech as President of the United States, his last speech – this was his last message as President to the American people. He said, ‘Thanks to each wave of new arrivals to this land of opportunity, we're a nation forever young, forever bursting with energy and new ideas and always on the cutting edge, always leading the world into the next frontier. This quality is vital to the future – our future as a nation. If we ever close the door to new Americans, our leadership in the world would soon be lost.'
With that, I urge a bipartisan vote and yield back the balance of my time.
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