(Luis Cornelio, Headline USA) Republicans in the House Appropriations Committee came under fire following the release of a Breitbart report that accused them of increasing the number of foreign workers in the U.S. through a new Homeland Security spending bill.
“After markups and hearings, Republicans on the House Appropriations Committee approved the DHS spending bill which would blow the lid off blue-collar migration caps to the United States, spurring an influx of foreign visa workers in the labor market with whom working class Americans would have to compete for jobs,” Breitbart reported Monday.
The $91.5 billion funding proposal would loosen H-2 Visas, ultimately leading for agricultural entities to “import foreign workers,” according to Breitbart. The measure would also re-write current rules so that the visa program is not limited to seasonal workers. Massive fraud has mired H-2 visas in recent years, reported Breitbart.
The proposed legislation, which expands the H-2 visas already mired in abuse and fraud, has ignited a firestorm of criticism from prominent conservatives on Twitter.
Ann Coulter, a political commentator, torched the proposed measure. “It’s gonna be a BIG DAY when American farmers learn about robots,” Coulter said on Tuesday via Twitter. “House Republicans approve bill allowing the agricultural sector to import MORE foreign workers and no longer requires the jobs to be seasonal.”
It's gonna be a BIG DAY when American farmers learn about robots.
House Republicans approve bill allowing the agricultural sector to import MORE foreign workers and no longer requires the jobs to be seasonal.https://t.co/XbCFqCL3Dd
— Ann Coulter (@AnnCoulter) July 11, 2023
Jeremy Beck, vice president of the NumbersUSA group, voiced his concerns in statements to Breitbart. “Who represents the working class? This bill suggests it’s not necessarily Republicans,” Beck said.
The Republican-led House Appropriations Committee announced the appropriation bill on June 21, touting funding for a border wall and $496 million for the hiring of 22,000 Border Patrol agents, dubbed by the committee as “the highest level ever funded.”
Documents from the Appropriations Committee obtained by Headline USA barely mention the amendment to the H-2 visa program. The committee merely said the bill includes “two provisions regarding visas for temporary workers.”
House Appropriation Chairwoman Kay Granger, R-Texas, similarly championed the appropriation in a press release on June 21. “I want to start by saying the work we did last week shows how we are able to reduce spending where we can and prioritize funding for our core responsibilities,” Granger said “That includes our national defense, veterans, and the bill before us: homeland security.”
