Sen. Chuck Grassley (R-Iowa), a senior member and former chairman of the Judiciary Committee, today released the following statement after the Department of Homeland Security announced its approval of 35,000 additional H-2B guest worker visas.
“It’s unfortunate that so many more guest worker visas have been approved without Congress having taken any action at all to address the obvious flaws and abuses within the H-2B program. While I understand the needs of some employers who legitimately rely on H-2B workers if American workers cannot meet demand, I also remain concerned that the program, as it currently operates, creates incentives for unscrupulous employers to hire cheaper guest workers at the expense of American workers, and create poor working conditions for immigrant workers and American workers alike.
“As members of Congress, we are elected to make decisions and legislate on the important policy issues of the day. Sadly, in recent years, we have farmed out our policy-making responsibilities to Department of Homeland Security instead of doing our jobs as legislators. This must stop.”
