Pelosi Remarks at Press Event with University Presidents and Chancellors to Call for Passage of the Bipartisan DREAM Act

Contact: Ashley Etienne/Henry Connelly, 202-226-7616

Washington, D.C. – House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Senate Democratic Whip Dick Durbin (D-IL), House and Senate Democrats and University Presidents and Chancellors to call for the urgent passage of the bipartisan DREAM Act. Below are the Leader's remarks:

Leader Pelosi. Good morning, everyone! As you may have observed by the bells and other signals, the Senate has votes right now so they've asked us – although we're on the Senate side – the House members to open this important coming together of leaders in the academic community who support the DREAM Act.

Our special VIPs today, though, are our DREAMers. We thank them for the dignified manner in which the DREAM campaign, crusade, mission has been carried out over the years.

When the Senate comes back in you'll hear from [Senator] Dick Durbin who has been our hero in all of this for such a long time. He's been in the Congress – I don't know, over 30 years – and I think he's spent more than half that time on the DREAM Act. We were pleased to pass it in the House in 2010, couldn't get 60 votes in the Senate although he got a majority.

Now it is absolutely urgent that we pass the legislation. To the DREAMers that are here, my message to you is, ‘thank you for blessing our country with the inspiration that you are, and please take this message to your parents. Thank them for bringing you here because [you] help America dream again.'

The fact that over 80 percent of American people want our DREAMers to stay in America, 68 percent according to one poll, believe DREAMers should stay with a path to citizenship.

The three B's – the badges, law enforcement community supports the DREAM Act, bibles, the people of faith being very outspoken about their support and the business community.

Today we're here with the academic community. I'm proud to join our colleagues from California and New York to welcome leaders of the academic community who are here and they will self-introduce because in the interest of time we want you to hear more from them and less from me.

But again, we're all inspired by the DREAMers, we're determined that this DREAM Act will be the law of the land before the year is out. We reach out to our Republican colleagues with great anticipation that what they say about supporting the DREAMers will be reflected in their vote on the bill.

And we thank the President for his commitment to support the DREAM Act. He's told us if [the bill] comes to [his] desk he will sign it. He's also told Leader Schumer and me that he supports the DREAM Act, and that is a source of encouragement to us.

I yield to Mr. [Dick] Durbin who is not here yet, so then we will go to the State University of New York Chancellor, Kristina Johnson, with a great welcome and an appreciation for your leadership and SUNY's role in all of this. Thank you!

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