WASHINGTON, D.C. — U.S. Senator Jeff Sessions (R-Ala.) took a swipe at presumptive Democratic nominee Hillary Clinton on Tuesday, calling one of her proposed policies “a concept that has been recycled by industry year after year as ‘immigration reform,’ and would damage the job prospects of U.S. students.”
As part of her immigration reform initiative, Clinton would “staple” a green card to STEM master’s degrees and PhDs of every graduate – enabling foreign students to get green cards and thus be able to remain in the U.S. permanently and take any job. Sessions argues that such a policy is dangerous because it plays to the myth of an American worker shortage and could “crowd out” American graduates looking for jobs.
The senator expresses his deep concern for American students who will soon be a part of the highly competitive job market.
He said:
Young Americans graduating with master’s degrees and PhDs in these fields have sacrificed their time and energy to pursue a career in the STEM field – often at the encouragement of policymakers and national leaders – and oftentimes carry the burden of substantial student loan debt as a result. Further saturating the STEM labor market will limit their ability to obtain high-paying jobs that will allow them to pay down their debt and pursue the occupation of their choosing.
While Sessions noted that it is best for the national interest to favor high-skilled immigration over low-skilled, he challenged the relative need for a massive influx of such workers at the present time. He cited a USA Today op-ed co-authored by several notable economists which challenged the notion that STEM professions are experiencing a labor shortage.
“There is an ample supply of American workers who are willing and qualified to fill the high-skill jobs in this country,” they wrote. “The only real disagreement is whether supply is two or three times larger than the demand.”
This is not the first time that Sessions has challenged the policies of a potential Clinton Administration. Earlier this week, the Sessions-led Senate Subcommittee on Immigration and the National Interest attributed a $400 billion price tag to Clinton’s refugee proposal.
RELATED: Sessions-led committee estimates Hillary’s refugee plan would cost a jaw-dropping $400B
The committee cited statistics calculated by economists at the Heritage Foundation who determined that the lifetime cost of the 10,000 refugees pledged by President Obama is $6.5 billion. Using that number as a baseline, Sessions’ committee determined the cost of Hillary’s plan drawn out over a four year term would be roughly $403 billion.
If elected, Clinton would plan to admit 620,000 refugees over the course of her term. This proposal represents an increase of 55,000 refugees a year over President Obama’s initial target for 2017, and Congress might be helpless to stop her.
“Due to statutory flaws in our Refugee Admissions Program, the number could be as high as Hillary Clinton desires,” the analysis states. Without a congressional mechanism to prevent executive action, it could be possible for Clinton to house some refugees in Alabama.
Sessions has been a long-time supporter of GOP presumptive nominee Donald Trump, who has outspokenly favored much tighter immigration policies. In the recent months, Sessions has led Trump’s National Security Advisory Committee and has also received significant buzz as a potential vice presidential pick.
