Rep. Aguilar’s Amendment to Allow DACA Recipients to Work in the Federal Government Passes

Today, the House Appropriations Committee adopted Rep. Pete Aguilar's amendment allowing recipients of the Deferred Action for Childhood Arrivals (DACA) Program, also known as Dreamers, to work in the United States federal government.

"Dreamers love our country and want to give back to the nation they call home by dedicating their lives and careers to making the United States a better place through public service in our federal government," said Rep. Pete Aguilar. "By extending eligibility to DACA recipients, our entire federal government, from Congress to the judicial and executive branches, will benefit from allowing talented job applicants to join the federal workforce. I am grateful to my colleagues on both sides of the aisle in the Appropriations Committee for supporting my amendment, and I urge the rest of my colleagues in the House to support this commonsense policy change."

The amendment was introduced at the full Appropriations Committee markup of the Fiscal Year 2026 (FY26) Financial Services and General Government funding bill, passing by a bipartisan vote of 30 to 29. The funding bill will now be voted on by the House of Representatives.

The DACA Program is a temporary program enacted in 2012 under the Obama Administration that provides immigrants brought to America as children with protection from deportation and work authorization. Throughout the United States, hundreds of thousands of DACA recipients who are part of the workforce contribute nearly $16 billion to the U.S. economy every year.

Rep. Aguilar serves as Chair of the House Democratic Caucus and as a member of the House Committee on Appropriations.