AND WHETHER CONTRACTORS AND
SUBCONTRACTORS HIRE FOREIGN
WORKERS OR OFF SHORED ANY OF
THEIR ACTIVITIES.
LET’S BRING IN HADLEY HEATH
MANNING, POLICY DIRECTOR AT THE
INDEPENDENT WOMEN’S FORUM.
GOOD TO SEE YOU BY THE WAY.
WE’RE TALKING ABOUT THE H1B
VISAS THAT ALLOW PEOPLE TO COME
INTO THE COUNTRY AND STAY FOR
SEVERAL YEARS AROUND THE
PRESIDENT IS SAYING I SAID I WAS
GOING TO BRING JOBS HOME THIS IS
CERTAINLY ONE WAY TO DO THAT,
CERTAINLY NOT GIVE THE VISAS AND
GIVE THE JOBS BACK HERE TO
PEOPLE WHO NEED THEM.
>> RIGHT.
WHAT AN INTERESTING TIME.
CERTAINLY ANY POLICY DECISION
WE’RE MAKING TODAY ISN’T MADE IN
A VACUUM BUT WE LOOK AT IT IN
THE CONTEXT OF THE COVID-19
PANDEMIC.
WE’RE SEEING A LOT OF REDUCED
TRAVEL, REDUCED IMMIGRATION
AROUND THE WORLD.
WE’RE SEEING VERY REDUCED LEVELS
OF EMPLOYMENT HERE IN THE UNITED
STATES.
I THINK THE FIRST PREROGATIVE OF
THE PRESIDENT OF COURSE IS
GETTING AS MANY AMERICANS BACK
TO WORK AS POSSIBLE AND HOW IT
FITS INTO A BROADER LONG-TERM
STRATEGY IS A DIFFERENT
QUESTION.
JACKIE: IT AFFECTS THE
TECHNOLOGY INDUSTRY.
THERE ARE A LOT OF RECIPIENT
WITHIN THAT GROUP WHO HAVE THE
VISA.
DO WE HAVE THE SKILL LEVEL AND
QUALIFIED WORKER BASE HERE TO
FILL THESE POSITIONS?
>> YOU KNOW THAT’S AN
INTERESTING QUESTION BECAUSE
TYPICALLY IN THE UNITED STATES
WE IMPORT LABOR.
THAT IS TO SAY WE HAVE
IMMIGRANTS WHO ARE EITHER AT THE
VERY HIGH-END OF SKILLS OR AT
THE VERY LOW END OF SKILLS.
IN FACT THE U.S. LABOR FORCE IS
MORE LIKE A BELL CURVE WHERE
MOST NATIVE-BORN AMERICANS HAVE
SOME MEDIUM LEVEL OF EDUCATION
WHETHER THAT IS HIGH SCHOOL
DEGREE OR COLLEGE DEGREE.
WE DO IMPORT A LOT OF PEOPLE ON
THE TWO EXTREMES, WHETHER IT IS
LOW EDUCATION OR HIGH EDUCATION
BUT WE COULD CERTAINLY WORK
TOWARDS A PLACE IN THE UNITED
STATES WHERE WE HAVE THOSE
HIGHER LEVELS OF SKILL.
THAT IS A QUESTION OF EDUCATION
REFORM.
MILLIONS OF PEOPLE WHO COME TO
THE UNITED STATES WITH HIGH
LEVEL OF SKILLS CONTRIBUTE A LOT
TO OUR ECONOMY.
JACKIE: SURE.
HADLEY, THERE IS ALSO THE ISSUE
OF THE CITY OF PITTSBURGH
JOINING 15 OTHER CITIES, WITH
THIS PILOT PROGRAM, USING MONEY
DONATED BY TWITTER FOUNDER JACK
DORSEY TO SEE IF UNIVERSAL
INCOME PROGRAM WOULD WORK.
NOBODY TESTED THIS OUT.
ANDREW YANG WAS A BIG PROPONENT
ON IT.
WE HAVE THE PANDEMIC AND
PROBLEMS WITH IT.
DORSEY IS STEPPING UP WITH THE
MONEY.
DO YOU SEE THIS AS A PILOT, IF
IT IS SUCCESSFUL IT COULD
POTENTIALLY BECOME MORE?
>> THIS REALLY GETS TO THE THE
HEART OF THE DEBATE OF
GOVERNMENT SAFETY NET.
THIS IS PRIVATE MONEY.
ULTIMATELY ALL THE MONEY COMES
FROM TAXATION.
THIS IS PRIVATE DOLLARS AND
PRIVATE ACTION THE CONTRIBUTION
FROM JACK DORSEY BUT WE’LL SEE
HOW THIS EXPERIMENT PLAYS OUT IN
UNIVERSAL INCOME.
I THINK IT’S A FLAWED EXPERIMENT
IN A COUPLE OF WAYS.
WE’RE DOING IT IN THE MIDST OF A
PANDEMIC WHERE NEEDS OF PEOPLE
ACROSS THE INCOME SPECTRUM IS
DIFFERENT.
HOW WE CONSUME, HOW WE SPEND
MONEY WILL LOOK DIFFERENT AND
THIS ISN’T A EXPERIMENT
REPLACING EXISTING SOCIAL SAFETY
NET WITH UBI OR ADDITIONAL CASH
PAYMENT BUT LAYERING ON THE CASH
PAYMENT.
WE’LL SEE WHAT KIND OF RESULTS
RESEARCHERS GET WHEN THEY LOOK
AT THE EXPERIMENT GOINGS-ON IN
SEVERAL DIFFERENT STIFFS.
I’M CURIOUS TO CITY IF THIS IS
SCALED UP.
ULTIMATELY I HOPE WE FIX REFORMS
TO THE SAFETY NET PROGRAMS WE
HAVE TODAY.
JACKIE: HADLEY, IS THE TIMING ON
THIS INTERESTING?
JACK DORSEY HAS BEEN IN THE
HEADLINES AND THE PRESIDENT USES
TWITTER A LOT AND THERE IS A LOT
OF TALK ABOUT CENSORSHIP AND
CHANGING THE RULES OR NOT AND
YOU HAVE DORSEY DOING SOMETHING
LIKE THIS DURING THE PANDEMIC AT
A TIME BY THE WAY THE
UNEMPLOYMENT BENEFITS JUST
EXPIRED AND CONGRESS HASN’T BEEN
ABLE TO PROPOSE ANYTHING ELSE
FOR THE TIME-BEING?
>> YEAH I THINK THE PLAN
ULTIMATELY COMING FROM THE
PRIVATE SECTOR IS GOING TO BE A
REMINDER THAT WE RELY ON THE
PRIVATE SECTOR IN SO MANY
DIFFERENT WAYS WITH A SMALL
SCALE EXPERIMENT LIKE THIS, THE
FIRST CITY TO EXPERIMENT WITH A
UNIVERSAL BASIC INCOME WAS
STOCKTON, CALIFORNIA.
WE ALREADY BEGUN TO SEE SOME
RESULTS A VERY SMALL INITIAL
GROUP OF PEOPLE RECEIVED THE
CASH PAYMENTS.
I THINK AMERICANS ACROSS THE
BOARD ARE LOOKING FOR INNOVATIVE
SOLUTIONS DURING A TIME THAT IS
UNPRECEDENTED.
WE’RE IN UNCHARTED TERRITORY
WITH THE PANDEMIC AND
RESTRICTIONS PUBLIC HEALTH
CONCERNS BETWEEN PEOPLE AND
THEIR WORK.
THIS COULD BE ONE POTENTIAL
INNOVATIVE SOLUTION.
I WOULD LIKE TO SEE MORE PRIVATE
ACTION, MORE CHARITABLE
ORGANIZATIONS PARTNERING WITH
THE GOVERNMENT OR ACTING
SEPARATELY TO TRY TO PAVE A