On the recordNovember 30, 2012
Let me first thank the gentleman from California (Mr. Issa), and I applaud the Republican leadership for bringing this important bill to the floor. I think it's important that we bring down the decibels and that we talk about facts. This is an issue where passions are very high, but I think it's important to bring down the decibels a little bit and speak about some of the facts. Look, we know that America is home to some of the best universities on the planet; and because of that, people from around the world, students from around the world, young people from around the world come to study in our universities. Then, unfortunately, when they're done, we, in essence, show them the door out; and they have to leave the country. And they leave the country then and become the best, the toughest competitors to American enterprise. They create jobs elsewhere--not in the United States. Talking about outsourcing, this is the mother of all outsourcing. So what does this bill do? It tries to solve that issue. It tries to keep those individuals here. Those are the facts. Now, I would like to see a large number of that. And I think all of us should be talking about maybe we can expand those numbers. And that, I think, would be a wonderful debate to have. Now, not only does this bill do that, but it also promotes a smarter immigration system that helps maintain our competitive edge, and it also helps keep families together.…
