On Meet the Press, Leader Pelosi Calls for the Immediate Passage of the DREAM Act

This morning, House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi joined Chuck Todd on NBC's Meet the Press to discuss the need to pass the DREAM Act now.  House Democrats stand with the vast majority of Americans that believe that patriotic young DREAMers who study in our schools, work and pay taxes make America more American.

Leader Pelosi also discussed Democrats' willingness to work with Republicans on an infrastructure bill to bring Better Jobs, Better Wages, Better Future to communities across America.

Below are the highlights.

On the Necessity of Passing DREAM Act Immediately 

"What we agreed with the President on, was that the basic bill would be the DREAM act. This is a bill that has been introduced and has nearly 200 cosponsors by Congresswoman Lucille Roybal-Allard.  It is a bill that we will take forward and it is the bill that we all support."

…

"We have said, ‘no wall – the DREAM act, no wall' and as long as we understand it's the DREAM act, no wall, what else do you have to say? … We're not supporting a wall."

…

"I'm more concerned about what they do in terms of enforcement.  When we protect DREAMers, we don't use them as a target to go after their parents.  So we want to say the prosecutorial discretion that you might use in terms of deportation does not use immigration status as a crime.  If somebody [commits] a felony or this or that – those are the issues that are more of a concern than him backing off of a wall."

On Democrats' Calling for Action on Job-Creating Infrastructure 

"Infrastructure has never been a partisan issue.  We always worked together, we worked regionally in terms of people coming together in regions for different things, and it is absolutely necessary to create good paying jobs, every place in the country for everyone.  We need infrastructure improvement in that way. … I think we have a great deal of common ground there."

"We don't want it to be a tax break for some friends disguised as an infrastructure bill."

On President Trump's Divisive Attacks on NFL and NBA Athletes

"You gave a list of the examples of how the President has been, shall we say, explosive of certain divisions in our country when it comes to race.  I hope that he would transition from that and understand that he has a different responsibility than feeding red meat to his base.  He has unclean hands too because of what he did after Charlottesville and other examples that you gave."