GOP's Valadao & Denham Try Rare Tactic to Force Immigration Reform Votes

By David Taub, Senior Reporter

Published 7 years ago on

May 9, 2018

Congressmen David Valadao (R-Hanford) and Jeff Denham (R-Turlock) are using a procedural move to force Speaker Paul Ryan into allowing the full House of Representatives to vote on immigration bills.
Known as a discharge petition, it would bring Denham’s H.Res. 774 to the floor for a vote. The petition has one week to gather 218 signatures, a majority of the House. Introduced today (May 9), it has at least 17 signers, all Republicans.

“Congress needs to do its job and be held accountable.” — Rep. Jeff Denham

Denham’s resolution, as described in an email from Valadao’s office “will allow for debate on the House Floor of H.R. 4760, the Securing America’s Future Act, H.R. 3440, the DREAM Act, legislation offered by Speaker Ryan and House leadership, and H.R. 4796, the USA Act.”
“I think you’ll see many different caucuses throughout the House that are engaged in this debate that are focused on different solutions,” Denham told CNN. “I think it’s our job. Congress needs to do its job and be held accountable.”
Valadao added in a news release, “Immigration reform is not a partisan issue, and, for far too long, Republicans and Democrats alike have failed to provide America with a solution.”

“We continue to work with our members to find a solution that can both pass the House and get the president’s signature.” — AshLee Strong, spokeswoman for Speaker Paul Ryan

Last week, Ryan visited Valadao in Kerman, as the two toured a manufacturing plant.
AshLee Strong, Ryan’s spokeswoman, said in a statement to GV Wire, “We continue to work with our members to find a solution that can both pass the House and get the president’s signature.”
It doesn’t look like Denham and Valadao, however, are going to get any support from their Valley colleague, House Majority Leader Kevin McCarthy.

.@GOPLeader McCarthy asked about this leaving House floor today: “I don’t believe in discharge petitions….Why not? Because you are turning the floor over. I think it is better to use the legislative process.” https://t.co/KaYTl8zRFq

— Alex Moe (@AlexNBCNews) May 9, 2018

Successful discharge petitions are rare. According to the Clerk of the House, this is the 10th such petition filed this session. None gathered the required amount of signatures. The last successful petition happened in 2015, regarding a banking bill.

Fixing our nation’s broken immigration system shouldn’t be a partisan issue. That’s why, I signed a discharge petition to force the House of Representatives to vote on critical immigration policy. We must repair our system, protect DACA recipients, and secure our borders. pic.twitter.com/9T4z9KCiMN

— Rep. David Valadao (@RepDavidValadao) May 9, 2018

Darius_assemi_immigration_reform_2018_60sec_V6 from GV Wire on Vimeo.

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David Taub,

Senior Reporter

Curiosity drives David Taub. The award-winning journalist might be shy, but feels mighty with a recorder in his hand. He doesn't see it his job to "hold public officials accountable," but does see it to provide readers (and voters) the information needed to make intelligent choices. Taub has been honored with several writing awards from the California News Publishers Association. He's just happy to have his stories read. Joining GV Wire in 2016, Taub covers politics, government and elections, mainly in the Fresno/Clovis area. He also writes columns about local eateries (Appetite for Fresno), pro wrestling (Off the Bottom Rope), and media (Media Man). Prior to joining the online news source, Taub worked as a radio producer for KMJ and PowerTalk 96.7 in Fresno. He also worked as an assignment editor for KCOY-TV in Santa Maria, California, and KSEE-TV in Fresno. He has also worked behind the scenes for several sports broadcasts, including the NCAA basketball tournament, and the Super Bowl. When not spending time with his family, Taub loves to officially score Fresno Grizzlies games. Growing up in the San Francisco Bay Area, Taub is a die-hard Giants and 49ers fan. He graduated from the University of Michigan with dual degrees in communications and political science. Go Blue! You can contact David at 559-492-4037 or at Send an Email