Political Quotes

“Madam President, I would like to discuss my J-1 visa amendment to the immigration bill, which was incorporated into the Corker-Hoeven amendment. The purpose of the amendment is to increase transparency and accountability of exchange visitor programs that operate under the J-1 visa category, while ensuring the continued existence of the J-1 program. I proposed the new subtitle I in title III, with the support of my friend from Wisconsin Mr. Johnson. While the original subtitle F protections applied across a range of visas that have a work component, the J-1 visa category is fundamentally different from the other visas originally included in subtitle F. The J-1 category simply required separate treatment to ensure increased protection of J-1 visa holders and the long-term viability of this important diplomatic program. I appreciate the support of the senior Senator from Connecticut, the original sponsor of subtitle F, and would like to further clarify the intent of our amendment. Throughout the crafting of our amendment, I acknowledged that there are legitimate concerns with some J-1 programs. There have been instances in the Summer Work Travel Program where student placements have been inappropriate for the purposes of true cultural exchange. As S.744 was reported from the Judiciary Committee, however, the intended reforms would have made it impossible for high quality sponsors to continue to administer the Exchange Visitor Program.…”