California Republican Rep. Jeff Denham says he has the support needed to force a vote in the House on four immigration bills to protect so-called Dreamers, despite the objections of his own party’s leadership.
But he’s not committing to using it yet.
The Turlock congressman is hoping that a show of support from at least 50 Republicans and most Democrats (totaling more than the 218 votes he’d need for a majority in the House) will prompt House Speaker Paul D. Ryan (R-Wis.) to voluntarily bring the bills up for a vote, rather than risk the embarrassment of being forced to do so by a member of his own conference.
“I would hope that after we get to 218 that leadership will realize that a vote is imminent, and we bring it to the floor immediately,” said Denham, who could rely on a rarely used House procedure to bypass leadership. “When you get to 218, it shows the will of Congress and we expect to be well beyond that.”
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