After President Donald Trump spoke to workers in Wisconsin on Tuesday, he signed an executive order calling on the government to fully review its H-1B visa program for temporary workers and to prioritize American firms when working with contractors.
Claiming that various international trade deals have harmed America and that his supporters “voted to end the theft of American prosperity,” the president noted that his new policy would “aggressively promote and use American-made goods and … ensure that American labor is hired to do the job.” Further:
The order expands on Trump’s efforts to restrict the use of foreign labor, claiming that such labor decreases wages and increases American unemployment. And H-1B visas—which let in skilled foreign workers—have become an important focal point, given the debates over economic migration and outsourcing as well as Trump’s past business practices. However, the order will fall short of stopping the practice, as evidenced by the government issuing 85,000 of those visas earlier this month.
Supporters from both sides of the political spectrum say that it is a step in the right direction for trade and immigration.
“The H-1B program was designed to fill gaps in America’s workforce with highly skilled foreign workers, but as we’ve seen in recent years, the program has been abused and exploited at the expense of American workers and most-qualified foreign workers,” Iowa GOP Senator Chuck Grassley noted in a statement. “I’m grateful that President Trump has taken my suggestions to heart by taking steps today to protect American workers and preserve limited H-1B visas for truly qualified, high-skilled foreign workers.”
AFL-CIO President Richard Trumka remarked: “We welcome efforts to improve the effectiveness of ‘Buy America’ and ‘Buy American,’ both of which commit taxpayer funds to support good jobs and businesses in America. Today’s executive order is a good first step toward making Buy America provisions more effective and discouraging excessive waivers, but more needs to be done to pivot the U.S. economy toward steady wage and job growth.”
Others, however, think that the order either harms businesses or does not go far enough to help workers.
According to Reuters, Senator Dick Durbin—who worked with Grassley on H-1B reform—said: “For a president who has prided himself on his swift action when it comes to immigration, an interagency review of the programme is a guarded and timid approach. It’s too little, too late.”
Neil Bradley, senior vice President of the U.S. Chamber of Commerce, also argued that “it would be a mistake to close the door on high-skilled workers from around the world who can contribute to American businesses’ growth and expansion and make the U.S. more competitive around the world.”
“The H-1B program plays an important role in addressing this need, but it can be improved. Further … expanding current ‘Buy American’ rules in U.S. law would make it more difficult to spur growth and jobs here at home.”
