House Democratic leader Nancy Pelosi on Sunday defended her efforts to work with President Trump to protect young illegal immigrants, saying she’ll “trust” him on the issue and suggesting their next deal could be on infrastructure.
“I trust the president on it,” Pelosi told NBC’s “Meet the Press,” about her framework deal earlier this month with Trump to protect young illegal immigrants in the United States that was later shouted down by activists from Pelosi’s liberal base.
Pelosi, of California, agreed to the deal at a White House dinner that also included Senate Democratic leader Chuck Schumer, of New York.
The deal would be for Congress to pass the bipartisan, so-called Dream Act, which would enshrine into law protection for tens of thousands of young illegal immigrants now safeguarded from deportation by the Obama-era Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals policy, or DACA, that Trump ended earlier this month.
Pelosi said Sunday that she trusts Trump will keep his word that the act will include an eventual pathway to citizenship for those who fall under its protections.
“That’s what he said. We’ll see. I trust him on it,” said Pelosi, who also acknowledged concerns about Trump perhaps trying to include in the measure money for his promised U.S.-Mexico border wall.
Pelosi also said Sunday that she understands the position of the dozens of activists who shouted down her town hall meeting over the Trump-immigration issue.
But she argued that she worked with Republican President George W. Bush on passing tax credits for the poor and a historic energy bill, despite him taking the county into the Iraq War “on the basis of a false premise.”
Pelosi, in Congress for more than 30 years and the top House Democrat for more than 12 years, said the relationship between Trump, a Republican, and congressional Democrats will be “one issue at a time.” However, she predicted that deal to improve the country’s aging infrastructure could be next.
“It is necessary,” she said.
