Mr. President. it should be a secret to no one that DHS is far behind in processing visas. One consequence of these lags is that thousands of visas go unused every year. This amendment takes approximately 61.000 of these unused visas from past years and allocates them for two professions that have been hit very hard by the visa crisis: nurses and physical therapists. Hospitals in New York. from the large ones in New York City to the small rural ones upstate. and hospitals around the country are feeling the crunch from the huge nursing shortage. There are now more than 100.000 nurse vacancies nationwide. by some counts. This amendment doesnt do anything to change existing law. and doesntI repeat. doesntcreate a single new visa. It is a onetime fix that does one thing: It takes one small pool of existing visas that now isnt being used and sets it aside for two professions that desperately need the help. I look forward to working with the committee on these amendments. as I believe they are important additions to the great work the committee has already done. I will ask for the yeas and nays at the appropriate time.
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