From October 14, 2022 post.
Senate Judiciary Committee Ranking Member Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa) criticized the Department of Homeland Security and Department of Labor for announcing the issuance of 65,000 H-2B visas above the statutory cap without effectively addressing vulnerabilities in the program.
“In its current form, the H-2B program lacks the necessary controls to ensure fairness for workers, and it actually incentivizes lower wages and poor working conditions for American and immigrant guest workers alike. As leaders of the Senate Judiciary Committee, Sen. Durbin and I have repeatedly voiced our opposition to expanding this program without needed reforms, and we’ve worked in a bipartisan manner to strengthen the guest worker system. It’s time the administration takes action to ensure this program encourages fair and competitive opportunities for both Americans and guest workers,” Grassley said.
Grassley and Judiciary Committee Chairman Durbin (D-Ill.) have long pushed for updates to the H-2B temporary non-agriculture worker program, spanning multiple administrations. They’ve warned that an increasing reliance on the H-2B program cuts wages, pushes American workers out of jobs, and may, in some cases, discourage them from ever applying again.
Original source can be found here
