Democratic Whip Steny Hoyer (Md.) on Thursday blasted Minority Leader Nancy Pelosi’s (D-Calif.) remarks about white men working on an immigration agreement as “offensive.”
“The five white guys I call them, you know,” Pelosi said, referring to five bipartisan lawmakers, including Hoyer, leading efforts to salvage the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) program. All five of the male lawmakers are white.
“Are they going to open a hamburger stand next or what?” she said, referring to the popular fast food restaurant “Five Guys.”
Hoyer pushed back against the remarks.
“That comment is offensive. I am committed to ensuring DREAMers are protected and I will welcome everyone to the table who wants to get this done,” he told Politico in a statement, using the nickname referring to recipients of the DACA program.
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Hoyer was one of more than 20 bipartisan legislators from the House and Senate who met with President Trump on Tuesday to discuss a possible deal on the Obama-era program, which will expire in March.
Pelosi earlier this week suggested it was a mistake not to include minority representatives in the discussions.
“The sensitivity even on the wording is really important [and] for people who are engaged in these issues to be there at the table. They’ve been working on it in a bipartisan way for a long time,” Pelosi said.
Hoyer maintained that no agreement came out of the meeting, though Senate Democrats suggested there was a preliminary agreement on Republican demands for enhanced border security and immigration policy changes.