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Appropriations Committee change to H-1B visas is a move against the America First agenda. Trump should signal a veto of such language.
FOR IMMEDIATE RELEASE: July 26, 2018
Washington, D.C.: The House Appropriations Committee yesterday approved the fiscal year 2019 Department of Homeland Security (DHS) funding bill. The funding measure now goes to the full House floor for a vote, but many of the amendments added in committee are a betrayal of the America First agenda and President Trump’s promises to American citizens. Particularly problematic is an amendment from Republican Rep. Kevin Yoder (KS-3).
Republican Kevin Yoder proposed a radical amendment that would eliminate the per-country quotas on green cards. This would inordinately flood H-1B visas to India and other countries that provide cheap labor and take jobs from qualified American workers. Big Tech abusers of H-1B workers are thrilled with Rep. Yoder’s anti-American worker amendment. Cloaked in a false argument of fairness based on skills, this would do nothing to fix backlogged green cards except that it would relieve the “pain” on countries like India that flood our markets with cheap labor.
“This is an unacceptable betrayal of the American people and President Trump’s America First agenda,” said Ed Martin, president of Phyllis Schlafly Eagles. “Just one day after accompanying Trump on his Kansas City visit, Yoder turned his back on America First and instead scratched the backs of Big Tech giants. Amazon and Microsoft are already praising Yoder publicly, as his amendment will allow them to continue abusing the H-1B visa system and immigrants by bringing them in for cheap labor instead of hiring here.
“H-1B visas were created for employers to import workers for high-tech jobs only when Americans could not be found. However, big corporations have abused the system and its lack of enforcement to prevent employers from firing American workers and replacing them with cheap H-1B immigrants. Phyllis Schlafly fought this corruption for years, particularly in the Big Tech industries like Microsoft and Amazon.
“We encourage President Trump, just as Phyllis would, to veto this spending bill if it reaches his desk with the anti-American-worker amendment from Rep. Yoder. It is an offense to his America First promises to our country’s workers. It is a slap in the face to the President as he has supported these Members. It is a policy that has been used for decades to disadvantage American citizens, and Trump should signal his disapproval and future veto of this horrible language.”
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