Political Quotes

“Mr. Speaker, I yield myself such time as I may consume. Mr. Speaker, in this era of great power competition, we are in a race for top talent, and our continued military superiority depends on scientific breakthroughs in innovation. My amendment provides that if the Secretary of Defense determines it is in the national interest, it would allow a pathway to citizenship for the best foreign talent to work in the U.S. national security innovation base and on defense research projects. We want the brightest minds in the world working for us and not our adversaries. This amendment helps us in that race. This Chamber, I should mention, has recognized the need to face this challenge before and during the consideration of the fiscal year 2022 National Defense Authorization Act. My amendment was passed on the floor with bipartisan support, and I hope we will do it again today. The U.S. has less than 5 percent of the world's population, so the majority of the best scientific minds will undoubtedly be born outside the U.S. borders. So we enjoy world-class universities and an innovative private sector that attract talent from around the world in critical technologies like physics, computer science, and biotechnology; but our constricted pathways to residency and citizenship drive this talent into the arms of our economic competitors at best and our adversaries at worst.…”