Received this e-mail today from u.S. Senator Jeff Merkley (D. OR) on behalf of the Progressive Change Campaign Committee:
Right before Christmas, I voted "no" on the spending bill passed by the House and Senate to fund the government for another four weeks.
I made this decision because the bill does not protect 800,000 Dreamers -- and it lets the vital Children's Health Insurance Program (CHIP) become defunded in March.
As a Democrat, I believe we have a responsibility to hard-working, everyday Americans. Not just the rich ones, or the ones who give out big checks, or the ones who call the shots in big corporations.
This month, Congress will vote again on a longer-term budget. 60 votes will be needed in the Senate. Democrats have leverage and should draw a clear line in the sand: NO DREAM ACT? NO CHIP? NO DEAL!
We must pass the DREAM Act. More than 800,000 young people were brought here as children. They have jobs, they serve in our military, and many have no memories of any home other than the United States. They face isolation and deportation because Trump ended DACA -- and are in limbo every day. We must pass the DREAM Act now.
And we must fund CHIP. This Republican-controlled Congress went all in to cut taxes for the 1%, but won't help our most vulnerable children by funding children's health care. We must fund CHIP permanently.
As I work with Elizabeth Warren, Bernie Sanders, and others to use our leverage to demand the DREAM Act and CHIP be included in the budget bill, your support will be critical -- I’ll personally keep my colleagues updated.
The PCCC has been one of my strongest allies, and it's great to know we are in this fight together standing in solidarity with Dreamers and children who need health care. Thanks for being a bold progressive.
-- Senator Jeff Merkley