Denham claims support for Dreamer bills
WASHINGTON — 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 would 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.”
But Ryan told reporters Thursday that he doesn’t support Denham’s idea of a “Queen of the Hill” vote, as the maneuver is known, on immigration because President Donald Trump may not back whatever the House passes.
“I don’t want to spend our time bringing something through that I know is going to get vetoed,” Ryan said. Also, the Senate has already rejected versions of the bills Denham wants to bring to a vote.
Democrats, who have largely supported Denham’s unusual effort to buck his own leadership, are skeptical Ryan will bring up immigration bills without being forced.
“If he was, he would have already done it,” Congressional Hispanic Caucus Chairwoman Rep. Michelle Lujan Grisham, D-N.M., said. “The only way we get Ryan to do what we need to do is we have to jam him, and I think more and more people are getting ready to do that.”
Denham, who represents a heavily Latino and agricultural district, has worked behind the scenes on immigration issues for years and has publicly disagreed with the immigration positions of his party’s leadership before. Even so, a Republican forcing a vote against the wishes of a House speaker of his own party would be a dramatic escalation.
It’s the latest example of endangered California Republicans scrambling to showcase moderate positions in a state that is becoming more progressive and left-leaning, particularly under the Trump administration. Democrats are targeting 10 of 14 GOP-held districts in California, including Denham’s, in their bid to retake the House majority in November.
But what may have initially looked like something that could have also helped his campaign may yet backfire. By publicly acknowledging that he has the votes needed to force a vote but then not following through, Denham could put himself in a bit of a political quandary in his home district, where he faces a slew of 2018 opponents. Democrats could accuse Denham of folding under pressure from his own party, while Republicans might see his moves as disloyal.