Thread: Traitor Thom Tillis Obstructs Trump Nominee to ‘Force’ Admittance of More Foreign “Gu

Traitor Thom Tillis Obstructs Trump Nominee to ‘Force’ Admittance of More Foreign “Guest-workers” to take American Jobs

The WirePOSTED ON JULY 11, 2017

The White House complained Monday about Democratic obstruction of President Trump’s nominees, but a Republican senator is the chief roadblock for Mr. Trump’s pick to head the legal immigration service, hoping to use the position as leverage to force the administration to approve more foreign guest-workers this year.

Sen. Thom Tillis of North Carolina has put a “hold” on Lee Francis Cissna, the nominee for director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services, to try to pressure Homeland Security Secretary John F. Kelly to bend to the senator’s will and quickly approve thousands of H-2B visas.

Mr. Tillis is one of a number of senators who say their states’ summertime resort, seafood and landscaping industries are struggling to find American workers and need the foreign labor to survive.

“Several senators, including Sen. Tillis, have concerns with DHS’ timeline because it would negatively impact seasonal small businesses and American workers across the nation this summer,” said Daniel Keylin, a spokesman for the senator, in explaining his blockade. “The hold is in place while these concerns are being addressed with DHS.”

The H-2B visas have become an early test for Mr. Trump, who ran on a platform of boosting U.S. workers over foreigners, but who now faces pressure from within his own party and from key business groups.

H-2B visas are supposed to be for seasonal nonagricultural work, and current law sets an annual cap of 66,000, with half awarded for winter industries and half for summer jobs. Congress often increases the cap but this year did something unusual: Lawmakers in May gave Mr. Kelly the power to make the decision, allowing him to add perhaps 70,000 more visas for the summertime season.
The former Marine general said he was inundated with lawmakers from both sides of the issue and that he wished Congress had decided. In lieu of that, he worked with the Labor Department to study industry needs. He has promised a decision this month.

In late June, David Lapan, a spokesman for Mr. Kelly, said the secretary decided he would offer some additional visas, though the timing and number were still being worked out.

Mr. Lapan said this week that the secretary’s stance remained. “We’ll know soon on timing,” Mr. Lapan said.

The spokesman did not comment on the hold of Mr. Cissna, the official who would oversee the H-2B program as well as the rest of the legal immigration and guest-worker system.

Rosemary Jenks, government relations director at Numbers USA, which lobbies for stricter immigration limits, said Mr. Tillis‘ hold was a slap at Mr. Trump’s agenda.

“President Trump won the election on a message of ending the practice of using immigration to harm American workers. I find it amazing that a few short months later, a United States senator — a Republican no less — is preventing a vote on a presidential appointee in order to extort extra visas for low-skilled foreign workers on behalf of the cheap labor lobby,” she said. “Sen. Tillis should be ashamed.”

Landscaping and resort advocates have been particularly vocal in demanding more workers, saying they are losing business because they have tried but failed to find Americans willing to work the jobs. They also say they are bound by law to pay the prevailing wage, so they don’t end up shortchanging any workers.

The businesses say it’s late in the season, and they fear the workers won’t clear the process in time even if Mr. Kelly approves the visas.

That’s a concern Mr. Tillis has expressed, demanding “swift and decisive action” from Mr. Kelly.

North Carolina, Mr. Tillis‘ home state, is among the top 10 states for H-2B workers, according to the Center for Immigration Studies, which is releasing a report Tuesday on the program.

The center argues that the jobs generally pay better than minimum wage and there should be Americans willing to take them — particularly if the businesses are willing to change a bit.

“These are jobs that used to be held by college students. I certainly did it when I was in college,” said Jessica Vaughan, the report’s author. “But they’ve gotten away from that because it’s just easier — they don’t have to recruit people, they don’t have to accommodate the schedules of students.”

She said the program has been taken over by middleman recruiters who sign up foreigners, then connect them with the seasonal businesses in the U.S., who bank on the foreign hires for their business models.

Ms. Vaughan pointed to the experience of some Maine businesses that used to rely on H-2B. She said when the supply dried up, the businesses started to recruit senior citizens instead, working with them to accommodate their desire for part-time jobs.

But for many companies, the current system is too enticing.

“What we find is that some of the senators who represent states where employers really want these workers are some of the biggest proponents of this program,” she said. “It certainly appears that senators are very susceptible to pressure from the employers who want to bring in these workers instead of hire American workers, even though these are clearly jobs that Americans are available for and are decent-paying jobs.”

The White House complained Monday about the hold on Mr. Cissna as part of an overall broadside against the Senate for obstructing most of Mr. Trump’s nominees.

The practice of “holds” is a tactic based on Senate rules that allows a single lawmaker to delay action. It’s a signal that a member intends to object to bringing a bill or nominee to the floor for a vote. It’s a rough equivalent to a filibuster, requiring a delay and a cloture vote to overcome.

Senators sometimes use holds to block a specific person they object to, but just as often they use holds to extract concessions from the administration. Sometimes it’s to force top officials to answer questions they might otherwise avoid or, as in Mr. Tillis‘ case, to force a policy change.

http://firstinfreedomdaily.com/trait...american-jobs/

As a North Carolina resident, this guy has been a huge disappointment to me. He will not receive my vote again!

I hope to do all I can to help the fine people of North Carolina remove Thom Tillis from office at the earliest chance!

W

Originally Posted by MW

As a North Carolina resident, this guy has been a huge disappointment to me. He will not receive my vote again!

I hated the guy from the beginning! I so wanted to see Dr. Greg Brannon get the nomination. The dirty money moved right in to see Tillis get it. I'll do everything I can to see he's one and done!

Originally Posted by nomas

I hated the guy from the beginning! I so wanted to see Dr. Greg Brannon get the nomination. The dirty money moved right in to see Tillis get it. I'll do everything I can to see he's one and done!

I agree, Greg Bannon would have been much better for us. Unfortunately though, we were forced to deal with the card we were dealt. perhaps Bannon will run against Tillis again.

Ruben Lugo from Mexico mows grass on the grounds of the DeVintage subdivision in Cary, NC on April 19, 2017. He is here on an H2B visa, which is for seasonal work. He works for Greenscape, Inc., a Raleigh landscaping company. N.C. Sen. Thom Tillis wants to expand the program. Chris Seward cseward@newsobserver.com

UNDER THE DOME

JULY 12, 2017 5:57 PM

Trump says Democrats are blocking his nominees, but the GOP’s Tillis is holding up this one

BY BRIAN MURPHY
BMURPHY@MCCLATCHYDC.COM

WASHINGTON President Donald Trump has accused U.S. Senate Democrats numerous times of delaying his nominees to fill the executive branch. But in the case of one Department of Homeland Security nominee, it is Republican Sen. Thom Tillis who is holding up the process.

Tillis, who represents North Carolina, placed a hold on Lee Francis Cissna’s nomination to be director of U.S. Citizenship and Immigration Services – a department within Homeland Security whose 19,000 employees and contractors deals with naturalization, green cards, visas for temporary workers and the e-verify program that checks job applicants for legal residency in the country.

Senate custom allows a single senator to block legislation or presidential nominations through the use of a hold. The Washington Times first reported Tillis’ hold.

Tillis took the action to pressure Homeland Security to speed up a decision on making available more H-2B visas – a program that allows American businesses to hire seasonal foreign workers for non-agricultural jobs.

The program is used heavily by North Carolina’s tourism, landscaping and seafood production industries. Only Texas and Colorado had more workers on H-2B visas in fiscal year 2017 than North Carolina’s 4,324.

In May, Congress authorized Homeland Security to approve an additional 70,000 H-2B visas as part of a government funding law. Those additional visas are on top of the current cap of 66,000. But there are tighter restrictions this year as returning workers count against the cap unlike in previous years, and Tillis said the cap was reached on March 13.

Homeland Security Secretary John Kelly has yet to make a final decision on the additional visas, drawing the ire of Tillis. Several North Carolina businesses have been affected by the shortage of workers.

“Several senators, including Sen. Tillis, have concerns with DHS’ timeline because it would negatively impact North Carolina seasonal small businesses and workers this summer. The hold is in place while these concerns are being addressed with DHS,” Tillis spokesman Daniel Keylin said.

Thom Tillis, then a North Carolina Republican Senate candidate, debates then-Sen. Kay Hagan at UNC-TV studios in Research Triangle Park, N.C., on Oct. 7, 2014.
Gerry Broome AP

A DHS spokesman said the blame lies with Congress for passing the law in May, rather than September or October, which would allow more time to find seasonal summer workers. Congress also required that Kelly consult with the Department of Labor before making his decision.

“Francis Cissna is well-respected and highly qualified and Secretary Kelly looks forward to a confirmation vote by the Senate as soon as possible. Mr. Cissna received overwhelming support from the Senate Judiciary Committee,” said David Lapan, a press secretary for Homeland Security.

The issue is further complicated by the politics surrounding the use of foreign workers by American businesses, particularly after Trump made it an issue in the presidential campaign.

Though Trump said he has relied on the program to find workers for his golf courses and hotels, he campaigned on an “America First” platform. Some on the right and left have seized on the issue as one of fairness for American workers.

Four senators, including two Republicans and two Democrats, wrote a letter to Kelly and Labor Secretary Alexander Acosta in May urging caution in adding H-2B visas and requesting that Kelly inform the Senate Judiciary Committee in a written report how he reaches any determination to add more. The letter was signed by three members of the Judiciary Committee, including chairman Chuck Grassley, an Iowa Republican. Tillis also serves on that committee.

Tillis teamed up with 87 members of both parties in the House and Senate to write a May letter to Kelly and Acosta encouraging them “to take swift and decisive action to ensure that small and seasonal businesses in our states can get the workers necessary to ensure a successful season.”

Though Democrats can stall nominees with procedural delays, Republicans hold 52 seats in the Senate, allowing them to confirm Trump’s nominees without any support from Democrats.

The Senate has confirmed 47 of Trump’s 139 formal nominees, according to The Washington Post and the Partnership for Public Service. But there are more than 370 key positions that require Senate confirmation for which Trump has not nominated anyone.

Senate Majority Leader Mitch McConnell’s office said it does not disclose the number of nominees subject to holds.

Brian Murphy: 202-383-6089; @MurphinDCy

http://www.newsobserver.com/news/politics-government/politics-columns-blogs/under-the-dome/article161029679.html

Work program for low risk prisoners to mow grass!

Give them nominal pay to put in an account they can have after time served...or pay towards child support!

Originally Posted by MW

As a North Carolina resident, this guy has been a huge disappointment to me. He will not receive my vote again!

I knew he would be garbage. I didn't vote for him the first time. Voted for John Rhodes, who was a stand up GOP rep in the NCGA, whom Tillis ran out of office because he wasn't in Tillis's hip pocket.

Originally Posted by Beezer

Work program for low risk prisoners to mow grass!

Give them nominal pay to put in an account they can have after time served...or pay towards child support!

I remember pushing a lawnmower around my neighborhood at 13 years old. I was mowing lawns for around $5.00 a yard back in the 70's.