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发帖数: 3388 | 1 【 以下文字转载自 Military 讨论区 】
发信人: glovekeeper (yann), 信区: Military
标 题: 奥巴马表示坚决反对STEM法案
发信站: BBS 未名空间站 (Sun Dec 2 12:03:40 2012, 美东)
民主党一记大耳光扇过来。。。
WASHINGTON -- The Obama administration announced on Wednesday its opposition
to the latest House Republican effort on immigration: a bill that would
expand visas to certain holders of advanced degrees by eliminating another
visa program entirely.
The STEM Jobs Act, proposed by House Judiciary Chairman Lamar Smith (R-Texas
), is focused on the relatively uncontroversial idea that more highly-
skilled immigrants should be allowed to come to, or stay in, the U.S. It
would add 55,000 visas for masters and doctoral degree holders in science,
technology, engineering and mathematics.
At the same time, though, it would eliminate all 55,000 diversity visas --
often called the green card lottery -- that go toward would-be immigrants
from countries with low rates of immigration to the U.S.
It's also a narrow bill at a time when President Barack Obama and members of
Congress from both sides of the aisle are working toward broad immigration
reform, which led the White House to oppose it.
"[T]he Administration strongly supports legislation to attract and retain
foreign students who graduate with advanced STEM degrees ... However, the
Administration does not support narrowly tailored proposals that do not meet
the President's long-term objectives with respect to comprehensive
immigration reform," the administration said Wednesday in its statement of
policy.
Democrats are outraged by the Republican-led STEM bill, despite a few
changes added to appeal to them. One is a provision that allows some spouses
and children of legal permanent residents to come to the country while
waiting for visa approval, which would keep families together. However, the
bill would not give those individuals work authorization and would still
include a wait, and Democrats argue the benefit does not outweigh the
overall problems with the bill.
Diversity visas have long been a target of Republicans, although a
relatively small number are distributed and a huge backlog already exists.
Rep Sheila Jackson Lee (D-Texas), also speaking in opposition to the bill,
told the Rules Committee that it seemed insulting to eliminate all diversity
visas.
"I take great offense, in a way of being gentle about it, about the attitude
toward diversity visas," she said. "The idea of diversity visas is
something of America's generosity and the desire of people to come here."
Rep. Zoe Lofgren (D-Calif.) circulated a letter to her colleagues on
Wednesday asking them to vote against the legislation. At a Rules Committee
meeting later in the day, she said she is concerned about the argument that
some visas should be eliminated to make way for others, particularly because
unused visas from the STEM bill would simply disappear rather than being
reallocated elsewhere.
"I think this bill is premised on a dangerous thought, which is that
immigration is a zero-sum game," she said at the meeting.
Smith, who authored the bill, said in a statement after the White House's
announcement that he was "disappointed" in the decision to oppose his
legislation.
"This important bill will help us create jobs, increase our competitiveness,
spur our innovation, and keep families together ... The President needs to
join with us to get this small piece of immigration reform done now," he
said. "The sooner we start to keep these talented foreign graduates, the
sooner they can bolster U.S. competitiveness and help create jobs for
America’s unemployed.” |
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