House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi will oppose an emerging Senate spending deal unless she gets a commitment that the chamber will allow an open debate on immigration legislation, she said Wednesday.
A lack of support from House Democrats potentially could imperil an agreement to avoid the second partial government shutdown in the last month. However, Pelosi in a statement said she will not back the deal on spending caps, without making assurances about how the rest of her caucus would vote.
The California Democrat said the emerging spending plan includes “many Democratic priorities.” However, she said she wanted Ryan to commit to an open process on legislation to protect hundreds of thousands of young immigrants from deportation before she supports the proposal.
“This morning, we took a measure of our Caucus because the package does nothing to advance bipartisan legislation to protect Dreamers in the House,” Pelosi said. “Without a commitment from Speaker Ryan comparable to the commitment from Leader McConnell, this package does not have my support.”
Senate leaders could announce a two-year agreement to boost spending for defense and domestic programs as soon as Wednesday.
However, House Republicans and House Democrats threatened to hold it up even if it gets bipartisan support in the Senate.
This story is developing. Please check back for updates.
