Post by bot on May 16, 2015 19:08:50 GMT -5
Hoyer: NDAA Military DREAMer Provision Allows Young People to Serve Their Country,
Protect Its Freedoms and Democracy
WASHINGTON, DC – Democratic Whip Steny H. Hoyer (MD) delivered the following remarks at a press conference this afternoon urging House Republicans to keep Rep. Ruben Gallego’s DREAMer provision in the National Defense Authorization Act for Fiscal Year 2016:
“Thank you very much, Leader [Nancy Pelosi], and congratulations [Rep.] Ruben Gallego for this initiative. We’re talking about young people who were brought to America. We’re talking about young people who have grown up in this country, loving this country, believing in its values, who want to serve their country and to protect the freedoms and democracy that they have enjoyed.
“The Gallego amendment simply says to the Secretary of Defense: determine whether this is in the best interest of our country. I think it is. I would hope that our Republican friends would come to their senses, would not be blinded by prejudice or desire to exclude, but be motivated by a desire to recognize the patriotism and desire to service of these young people, and say to the Secretary of Defense: if this is in the best interest of our country – which [Democrats] believe it is – then let’s move forward.
“I am confident that the vote that we’re going to shortly consider will be a bipartisan vote [against Rep. Brooks’ amendment], and I hope that there are enough Republicans to say to these young people: ‘welcome to America; thank you for your desire to serve; we want you to do so.’
“So, I congratulate Congressman Gallego and the bipartisan majority on the Armed Services Committee for bringing this [provision in the underlying bill] to the Floor. Let’s defeat the exclusionary [Brooks] Amendment. Let’s defeat an amendment that says: ‘we don’t want you.’ Let’s defeat an amendment, which we think [represents] a small America, and enlarge America, the great country that it is.”
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