Zoe Lofgren: “I think that the issue of H-1Bs is more complicated than training programs; 98 percent of the H-1B visa holders have at…”

“I think that the issue of H-1Bs is more complicated than training programs; 98 percent of the H-1B visa holders have at least a bachelor's degree, half of them have a master's degree or Ph.D., so I am very much for the job training programs that are included in this. It is important, but it is a different employee group than the H-1B visa holders. And for that, I am hopeful that we will be able to do additional funding and additional emphasis on math and science education, so that poor children who are in great numbers are not getting to colleges they should be and not getting into the Ph.D. programs as they should be will have that opportunity. Mr. Speaker, I would further note that this is about not just shortage but excellence, and we will always want the ability to recruit worldwide. A country that would not want somebody like Linus Torvalds to be in America and want to be one of us is a country that is inexplicable. So we will always want to be able to do that, but that does not obviate the need for putting massive effort and attention and additional resources especially into poor schools for poor children. We were losing bright minds. It is an outrage for those families and those kids, but further it is something that this country can no longer afford to do.”