Rep. Gutiérrez: ‘Complete betrayal’ if Pelosi backs budget caps deal without DACA

Rep. Luis Gutiérrez (D-Ill.) says it would be “a complete betrayal” by House Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi (D-Calif.) if she backed a budget caps deal that didn’t include an extension of Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA).

When asked if he thought Pelosi should lose support from the House Democratic Caucus if she supported a deal without DACA, Gutiérrez said, “I would hope so,” according to the Huffington Post’s Matt Fuller.

Rep. Luis Gutierrez says if Pelosi asked for Democrats to support a caps deal without a DACA agreement, that would be “a complete betrayal.”

He says he might not ever go to another Democratic Caucus breakfast if that were the case.

— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) February 6, 2018

Would Nancy Pelosi lose the support of the Democratic Caucus if she supported this caps deal without DACA?

Luis Gutierrez: “I would hope so.”

— Matt Fuller (@MEPFuller) February 6, 2018

Gutiérrez said last month that he would endorse an immigration plan by the White House that included an extension for DACA in exchange for billions of dollars for border wall construction and increased border security. 

{mosads}

“I’ll take a bucket, take bricks, and start building it myself,” he told reporters after the release of the White House plan.

Pelosi and Democrats in the House and Senate demanded last month that Republicans include a legislative fix for the program during negotiations for a government funding bill, which led to a three-day government shutdown.

Top Republicans in the Senate are now reportedly crafting legislation as another spending deadline approaches on Thursday. 

House Republicans are pushing for a federal funding deal tied to a full year of defense spending, but Democrats are pushing to settle the immigration issue first.