Speech #1140069792

Labor participation rate means the percentage of workers in the working ages that actually have a job. It is the lowest rate we have had in four decades. Nevertheless. despite this low labor force participation rate. this provision in the omnibus bill would exempt from the statutory limit. which is now 66.000 H2B workers a yearany worker who was present in the United States during the three previous years. Thus. instead of 66.000 foreign workers. the bill would allow up to 264.000 foreign workers to be present in the United States on H2B visas. That is over a quarter of a million lowwage. lowskilled workers brought in to occupy bluecollar jobs. That may be good for certain businesses that now have a large number of workers. because they dont have to raise wages and change working conditions and raise benefits to attract and keep workers. They can just bring in people from abroad who are thankful to get any good cashincome job at lower wages. This is bad for struggling American workers trying to get by and take care of their families. It is particularly bad. as economist after economist has shown. for minorities. including African Americans and Hispanics. and recent immigrants who are here lawfully looking to try to get a little better wage with a little better retirement and health care benefits. This is going to help them? Give me a break. On top of this provision. this omnibus bill approves. without any conditionsthe Presidents request for increased refugee admissions. allowing him to bring in as many refugees as he wants. He can do that. It is hard to believe. but he is allowed to do so. He simply has to notify Congress of how many he intends to admit. He can bring them from anywhere he wants and allow them access to unlimited welfare and entitlements at the taxpayers expense. which is not scored as a cost. At the Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest that I chair. we had an official from Health and Human Services who testified that 75 percent of the refugees are selfsustaining within 180 days. But my staff helped me to ask the followup question. What we found was that means Health and Human Services is no longer giving them refugee money. but that other kinds of welfare dont count against them. But 93 percent. we know. of immigrants from the Middle East between 2009 and 2013 are on food stamps. and 73 percent are on Medicaid or health care programs. And they may be there the rest of their lives. This is not being scored.