Sen. Dick Durbin (D-IL), who is pushing the DREAM Act in the Senate, said Thursday he believes he has about 55 of the 60 votes needed to pass the bill.

some activists tried to get the DREAM Act across the finish line last week. Gutierrez, the activist group Indivisible, and United We Dream — the biggest advocacy organization on the Hill for the DREAMers — all urged Democrats to reject the Trump-Pelosi-Schumer deal because it did not address DACA.

Still unclear is exactly how activists and Hill Democrats will succeed in forcing a congressional vote on the DREAM Act.

One long-shot approach, being spearheaded by Minority Whip Steny Hoyer (D-MD) and the Congressional Hispanic Caucus, is to try to get enough signatures on a “discharge petition” — if 218 members sign it, then House Speaker Paul Ryan would be forced to call a vote on the DREAM Act. (Ryan has ruled out bringing up a “clean” vote on the DREAM Act himself.)

Another option is to try attaching — or refusing to support — other measures that might require Democratic votes. The National Defense Authorization Act, which funds the military, has to be reauthorized. The Child Health Insurance Program is another possible point at which Democrats could exercise their leverage, as is a flood insurance bill.

This is on Nancy Pelosi and Chuck Schumer — if they fail to get the DREAM Act done, this is on them.”

https://www.vox.com/policy-and-polit...amers-congress