The Hill
By Martin Matishak
May 11, 2015
Rep.
Ruben Gallego (D-Ariz.) plans to ask House Republican leaders to toss
out a “misguided request” by GOP members to strike his provision to the
annual defense policy
bill that encourages the Pentagon to review allowing recipients of
President Obama’s Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program
to enlist.
“The
question is not just whether DACA recipients should be permitted to
serve our nation in uniform, but whether the Rules Committee should act
to overrule a committee
of jurisdiction, especially on matter concerns our military,” Gallego
writes in a letter dated May 12 to House Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio)
and Rules chairman Pete Sessions (R-Texas).
Gallego
notes that his amendment received bipartisan support when the House
Armed Services Committee marked up its version of the national defense
authorization act (NDAA)
earlier this month and that it would be “inappropriate” for Rules to
“overturn” that decision.
Last
week Rep. Mo Brooks (R-Ala.) led a group of 25 GOP members in a letter
to the Rules Committee asking that Gallego’s sense of Congress provision
be stricken from the
bill before it reaches the this week.
Brooks also plans to offer an amendment that would eliminate Gallego’s provision.
In
his letter, Gallego states that opponents of his measure argue his
language should be removed be from the bill on “jurisdictional grounds
and because it would provide
a ‘backdoor amnesty’ to DACA recipients and their families. On both
points, they are badly mistaken.”
He
contends that the text would “do nothing to alter the immigration
status of DACA recipients” but since it does “directly concern
qualifications” for military service,
it falls under the purview of the Armed Services Committee.
Gallego
also points out his text is similar to past measures, including 2006
legislation that altered the rules governing the enlistment of
non-citizens.
The Arizona Democrat said he has no issue with debating an amendment that targets his provision.
“That
would be consistent with the principles of regular order and the
traditions of the House,” he told Boehner and Sessions. “Its also a
fight I feel confident we could
win. Instead, what I and many others would find deeply objectionable is
any action to strip out this important provision without meaningful
debate and a separate vote on the House floor."
The
Rules Committee will meet Tuesday to review the more than 300
amendments the House's NDAA. The $612 billion policy roadmap is expected
to reach the House floor on
Wednesday.
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