Vote on DREAM Act Scheduled for Saturday

Youth advocates for the DREAM Act call Senators at the New York State Youth Leadership Council - Photo: Catalina Jaramillo

Youth advocates for the DREAM Act call Senators at the NYS Youth Leadership Council. (Photo: Catalina Jaramillo)

The fate of the DREAM Act and the Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell policy for gays in the U.S. military may be determined as early as Saturday. Senate Majority Leader Harry Reid announced Thursday evening that he would file cloture on the two bills, both of which were passed by the House this month. The cloture vote will test whether supporters of the two measures can muster the necessary 60 votes to overcome a potential filibuster.  Reid’s announcement came just a few hours after he agreed to pass a short term spending package rather than an omnibus package that will fund the government through February.

The vote on the DREAM Act, a bill that would allow young undocumented immigrants who meet a set of requirements to apply for legal status, will come first. If it gets 60 votes to end debate, then there will be a final vote on Sunday. The same goes for the repeal of Don’t-Ask-Don’t-Tell. Those votes will be followed by a vote on the short-term spending bill, which is expected to pass, and then the START treaty, which aims to reduce U.S. and Russian nuclear arsenals.

As Fi2W has reported, DREAM Act advocates have launched a non-stop campaign calling senators who they hope to bring to their side. Advocates in New York are focusing on Maine Senators Olympia Snowe and Susan Collins.  The two moderate Republicans are among a small group of senators that DREAM Act supporters are focusing on in the final day before the vote.

AboutSarah Kate Kramer
Sarah Kate Kramer first got hooked on collecting stories as a StoryCorps facilitator, then traveled the world with a microphone for a few years before settling down in her hometown of New York City. From 2010-2012 she was the editor of Feet in 2 Worlds and a freelance reporter for WNYC Radio, where she created “Niche Market,” a weekly segment that profiled specialty stores in New York. Sarah is now a producer at Radio Diaries, a non-profit that produces documentaries for NPR and other public radio outlets.