New York Congressman: Dream Act a Must Before Discussing Budget
Congress must come to a decision on the debt ceiling and the national budget by the end of the year, but according to one lawmaker, the priority has to be the “Dreamers.”
“A clean version of the Dream Act,” Rep. Adriano Espaillat, a Democrat representing NY’s thirteenth district, said on Monday. One that’s “not attached to hiring an additional 15,000 ICE agents to deport the parents of the Dreamers.”
The issue hits close to home for Espaillat. About 800,000 “Dreamers”, undocumented immigrants that travelled to the U.S. when they were children, live in his district, he said.
But their future in the U.S. is now at risk, since President Trump announced plans earlier this year to end Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals. The legislation put in place by the Obama administration was meant to give these immigrants amnesty. The rollback has met with criticism from Democrats and Republicans alike.
Espaillat’s issues with Trump go deeper than just immigration though. The Dominican-born congressman is one of six Democrats currently calling Donald Trump to be impeached.
Lead by Rep. Steve Cohen, signees Al Green (D-TX), Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), Marcia Fudge (D-OH), John Yarmuth (D-KY), and Espaillat, presented the five articles of impeachment last week. They argue that Trump has obstructed justice, violated the Constitution’s foreign and domestic emoluments clauses and the freedom of the press, and undermined the federal judiciary.
“We have taken this action because of great concern for our country, our Constitution, our national security, and our democracy,” Cohen said at a press conference.
House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi has discouraged action as severe as impeachment, but Espaillat argues that every person in office has the responsibility to take action in a case like this.
“We should not abdicate our responsibility as congressional members,” he said.
Private citizens are also taking up the cause. Former hedge fund manager Tom Steyer, a major donor to the Democratic party, is funding a campaign calling for action against Trump and has reportedly spent $20 million on ads.
“It’s up to all of us to stand up to this president,” one ad says.
According to the website, more than 2.5 million people have already signed a petition for impeachment.
Catching you up on what you need to know on Tuesday, May 31, 2022, EU leaders agree to ban 90% of Russian oil by year-end, funerals begin in Uvalde, Texas one week after a mass shooting killed 19 children and two adults, and President Biden meets with the world's biggest boy band BTS.
The Week's Top Stories is a guided tour through the biggest market stories of the week, from winning stocks to brutal dips to the facts and forecasts generating buzz on Wall Street.
An inflation gauge closely tracked by the Federal Reserve rose 6.3% in April from a year earlier, just below a four-decade high set in March and the first slowdown since November 2020.
The pain and grief from this week’s shooting in a 4th grade classroom at Robb Elementary School in Uvalde, Texas is still with us. Cheddar's Shannon Lanier ends the week by pausing to remember some of the faces of the 19 children killed and their teachers.
Cheddar New’s reporter Megan Pratz reports from the scene in Uvalde, Texas, with additional details that indicate the shooter was inside Robb Elementary School for more than an hour before law enforcement was able to confront and kill him.
U.S. stocks ended near session highs to close Thursday's session after retailers released positive earnings results. Investors also continued to weigh the federal reserve's recent indication that the central will raise rates in an effort to curb inflation. Adam Johnson, Portfolio Manager for Adviser Investments, joins Cheddar News' Closing Bell to discuss.
After the horrific mass shooting at a Texas elementary school, activists are once again urging Congress to take action. Trevon Bosley, a gun violence prevention activist, joined Cheddar News to talk about how to push legislators on the issue of new gun restrictions. “Even 10 years later the same sense of hopelessness from before," Bosley said, referring to the lack of change since the Sandy Hook massacre.
In Jarkesy v. Securities and Exchange Commission, the 5th U.S. Circuit Court of Appeals ruled that the SEC violated the U.S. Constitution. Cheddar's Alex Vuocolo dives into how the ruling could potentially change everything for regulators.
