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Democrats divided on H-1B issue- 19-Apr-2017
Washington: The Democratic party appeared to be divided on the steps being initiated by US President Donald Trump on H-1B issue, with the top leadership arguing this was not enough while another influential lawmaker welcoming the presidential executive order.
In a statement, Senator Sherrod Brown applauded the move of the US President, which he said takes aim at the H-1B visa programme.
The Ohio Senator had sought to reform so American workers are given a fair shot at a fair wage for jobs before businesses seek to hire foreign workers through the H-1B visa programme.
Brown is also pleased that the executive order will ensure that the entire steel making process must take place in America to be considered "Buy American."
However, his party leadership did not appear to be satisfied with the Trump's executive order which seeks the review of the H-1B visa process by four top federal agencies the Departments of State, Labor, Homeland Security, and Justice.
It is not a time for review, argued Senate Minority Leader Senator Charles Schumer.
"The President seems to be proposing a study to examine the ways to make sure H-1Bs aren't used to undercut American workers and drive down wages," Schumer told reporters during a telephonic news conference.
"Well, the Senate didn't just pass a study. But we passed real H-1B reform that would ensure outsourcing companies can't gobble up the H-1B visas, given them away to low-wage workers, and steal jobs out from under the nose of American workers," Schumer said.
"It was in the Comprehensive Immigration Reform bill that Senator (John) McCain and I -- a bipartisan bill -- led in 2013. So, we didn't just look at doing it. We didn't just say, do a study, and claim that something is actually happening. We did it in comprehensive immigration reform," he said.
"The President could simply adopt our proposal, which is strong and tough. If he stopped demonizing immigrants and worked with us on immigration reform, we could get something done. Something real, not just a study," Schumer said.
The top Democratic leader in the Senate alleged that Trump has "just repeatedly failed to deliver" on the promises he's made to American workers during the campaign.
"He hasn't stood up to China, who has robbed millions of Americans of jobs over the last several decades, and has been a benefactor of loopholes in our Buy America laws,” he said.
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