Only one in 15 immigrants coming into the United States has any skills that will enable them to enter the workforce, and that is causing problems for the economy, Sen. David Perdue, one of the co-sponsors of immigration reform measures unveiled this week, said Thursday.
"The result is, over half of immigrant households are in the social welfare system," the Virginia Republican told Fox News' "Fox & Friends" program. "We can't afford to do that anymore. If we want to be an innovator and a global economic leader, we simply have to be looking for the best and brightest in the world."
Perdue said President Donald Trump brought him and bill co-sponsor Sen. Tom Cotton, R-Ark., aboard for the immigration reform effort, not the other way around.
"This was a seminal issue during the election last year," said Perdue. "One of the reasons he got elected. This president had an ear to what people in America were saying.
"Three-fourths of Americans believe immigration should focus on worker and immediate family or less [and it] ought to be merit-based. This president picked up on that. This bill does that. It is pro-worker, pro-growth and proven."
Sen. Lindsey Graham, R-S.C., spoke out against the bill on Wednesday, saying it would hurt his state's agriculture and tourism income, but Perdue said he expects the senator will change his mind once he reads the bill.
"We're focused on permanent legal immigration, green cards," said Perdue. "What he is talking about is more impacted by temporary workers.
Those programs need work as well, he said, but they are not into the scope of the RAISE Act.
Perdue also dismissed concerns voiced by House Democratic Leader Nancy Pelosi, who said Wednesday that from the start of his campaign and election, he has pushed a "hateful, senseless, anti-immigrant status" that "weakens our nation and dishonors our values."
"Any time a liberal politician starts fear-mongering, you know you're on something good," said Perdue. "Nancy Pelosi and other liberal Democrats talk about Canada being a beacon of light.
"We're modeling after a problem they have proven for decades works. It brings the right skills in, balances the workforce, and helps the wage disparity become more manageable."
Sandy Fitzgerald ✉
Sandy Fitzgerald has more than three decades in journalism and serves as a general assignment writer for Newsmax covering news, media, and politics.
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