Jayapal said during a press call that the decision will add a pathway to citizenship for "Dreamers, TPS, essential workers, and farmworkers."
By "Dreamers," Jayapal was referring to people or those eligible for the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrival (DACA) program, which defended immigrants who came to the nation illegally as children from deportation. Temporary Protected Status (TPS) recipients are those from countries where it is regarded unsafe for them to return due to protected ongoing conflict, environmental hazards, or "extraordinary and temporary conditions."
While the circumstances are unclear, past attempts at such pathways for farmworkers have been available if they have served 400 days or more in a five-year period and had background checks and included seasonal or temporary work.
Democrats have previously struggled for immunity for "essential workers," asking for Biden to cover it in a prior spending package. At that point of time, they described the term comprehensively– including those who work in sectors such as health care, emergency response, sanitation, restaurant ownership, food preparation, vending, catering, food packaging, meat processing, hotel or retail work, agricultural work, landscaping, construction, nanny services, and house cleaning and janitorial services, as well as those operating laundromats.
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In that case, it would also appeal to those who serve in those industries but lost their job due to the coronavirus pandemic, and unauthorized immigrant families of those who died of COVID-19.
On Wednesday, Jayapal also said the huge $3.5 trillion package includes items that progressives had attempted including investments in housing, universal child care, paid leave, a Medicare expansion, and "climate investments"
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The package is expected to see notable resistance from Republicans and could expect almost complete Democratic unity in both chambers to pass.
Democrats hold a small majority in the House, and there is a 50-50 split in the Senate, which would be broken by Vice President Kamala Harris in the case of a tie. Since it is budget legislation, it can move with 51 votes instead of the normal 60 needed for other legislation.
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The entire focus will be on moderate Democrats in the Senate such as Joe Manchin, D-W.Va., and Kyrsten Sinema, D-Ariz., who have opposed their party on several issues – including immigration.
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Manchin issued a statement Wednesday saying he looks ahead to examining their settlement and is "very interested in how this proposal is paid for and how it enables us to remain globally competitive." "I will reserve any final judgment until I’ve had the opportunity to thoroughly evaluate the proposal," he said.
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