Increased H1-B Visas Hidden in Budget Reconciliation Bill
This can be found on Lou Dobbs' transcripts at www.cnn.com
Turning now to an extraordinary move in the U.S. Senate, which could result in even more foreigners coming to this country taking more American jobs. The Senate is raising the number of H1-B visas available to foreigners and selling them to companies for $500 apiece. Your government at work. But even more outrageous, the Senate is trying to attach this legislation to a budget reconciliation bill. Bill Tucker has the report.
(BEGIN VIDEOTAPE)
BILL TUCKER, CNN CORRESPONDENT (voice-over): American jobs are for sale, disguised as a budget bill. The Senate, working with the Senate judiciary committee wants to increase the number of H1-B visas by 30,000 and then it wants to exclude family members of visa holders. Its immigration reform slipped quietly into a budget bill. Opponents, though, refuse to let the bill go quietly through Congress.
REP. TOM TANCREDO, (R) COLORADO: It increase the legal immigration of this country by 35 percent. You couldn't get that passed on its own. So they're hiding it in reconciliation, sticking the $500 fee on there to make it a fiscal issue.
TUCKER: The president of the Programmers Guild, an association of technology workers has an equally straightforward take on the legislation.
KIM BERRY, PRESIDENT, PROGRAMMERS GUILD: This Bill, in essence, sells American jobs for $500 each, but it does not let Americans bid on these jobs. I know of many unemployed Americans, for example the thousands who have been laid off from Hewlett-Packard who would give 500, 1,000 or much more to get back into this profession. But these jobs are not intended for Americans, they're not advertised for Americans, this is onshore offshoring within the U.S..
TUCKER: Ironically, the bill to increase legal immigration is supported by Senate Majority Leader Bill Frist who is calling for immigration reform in this congress and by Texas Senator John Cornyn who has offered his own immigration legislation. Neither senator thought it unusual that stealth immigration reform was taking place in a budget bill.
(END VIDEOTAPE)
TUCKER: Now, the legislation in the Senate must still be reconciled with any budget bill in the House. And those who oppose the visa legislation hope that they can get it stripped down and separated from the budget. But Lou, there was not a lot of optimism, in fact, that it could be done.
DOBBS: Not that it could be done. But isn't anyone, and I perhaps should not be even asking this question, but isn't anyone in the U.S. Senate a little embarrassed at this way of doing business?
TUCKER: Tom Tancredo, Congressman Tancredo is very much embarrassed by it. And there are a couple of others... DOBBS: Of course, he's in the House.
TUCKER: He's over the in House, that's true.
DOBBS: Bill Tucker will look for a senator who's embarrassed at doing the people's business in this fashion. Thank you very much.
