Carolyn Maloney: “I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership. Mr. Speaker, in the wake of the November elections, there has…”

“I thank the gentleman for yielding and for his leadership. Mr. Speaker, in the wake of the November elections, there has been a growing consensus that it is time to undertake comprehensive immigration reform. There are many good reform proposals out there; but, unfortunately, this is not one of them. Although this bill does have some merits, those merits are more than offset by the bill's defects. One glaring problem is that this bill treats immigration as a zero- sum game. It seems to operate under the assumption that anytime a door is opened to a new class of entrants, it must slam the door shut on another. This bill would totally eliminate the longstanding Diversity Visa program that now provides one of the few legal pathways to enter the United States. Currently, the Diversity Visa program only issues 50,000 visas a year. And in 2013, almost 8 million people worldwide have applied for this visa. For anyone looking to find a legal way to come to this country right now, the chances are pretty slim. The zero-sum approach of this bill reduces those chances even further. It achieves almost the opposite of what the American people have asked us to do. Fortunately, there are better bills out there, bills that address some of the core concerns, bills that are ready to go. For instance, the Attracting the Best and the Brightest Act, Zoe Lofgren's bill, H.R. 6412, would create a new green card for people with graduate degrees from U.S.…”