Speech #1090119600

Mr. President. these temporary students and workers have helped us create an economy that last year produced 30 percent of the worlds wealth for us Americans alone. who constitute just 5 percent of the worlds population. It makes no sense for us to have an immigration system that makes it easy for unskilled workers to come here illegally and harder for the brightest people to come here legally. That is why it is my hope this comprehensive immigration bill we are considering will have in it the ideas that would make it easier. modestly easier. for a larger number of highly skilled people to come here and help us create better jobs. For example. there are two recommendations that were made in the document called "Rising Above the Gathering Storm." by the National Academy of Sciences panel. headed by Norm Augustine. This was a set of 20 recommendations that was made to us in Congress by this distinguished panel last summer in answer to our question: What should we do to keep our advantage in science and technology so that our goodpaying jobs dont go to India and China? They told us 20 things to do. Two of the things to do had to do with making it easier for the most intelligent people in the world to work and study and do research here. One of the ideas would be to give a green card. a permanent residency card. to any student from overseas who earns a doctorate in mathematics. engineering. technology. or the physical sciences. Those persons could stay here and help improve our standard of living. For example. at the Oak Ridge National Laboratory in Tennessee. the largest science laboratory in the United States of America. the director. the assistant director. and the head of our United States effort to recapture the lead in supercomputing in the worldthose jobs are all filled by people from other countries who have green cards. who are here helping us improve our standard of living. So we are glad they are here. and we should make it easier for such people to come. Craig Barrett. the head of Intel. estimates if we were to adopt this provision. that would mean perhaps 12.000 to 15.000 additional doctoral students in math. engineering. technology. or physical sciences. once they earn their degree. can stay in the United States.