VISAS AND WORK PERMITS AND BY
PROPOSED REGULATORY CHANGES.
OUR FIRST GUEST TONIGHT
INSTRUMENTAL IN THE CRAFTING OF
THAT NEW EXECUTIVE ORDER,
JOINING US IS KEN CUCINELLI,
ACTING DEPUTY SECRETARY START
DEPARTMENT OF HOMELAND SECURITY,
ACTING DIRECTOR OF U.S.
CITIZENSHIP AND IMMIGRATION
SERVICES.
KEN, GREAT TO HAVE YOU WITH US
AND CONGRATULATIONS ON MOVING
THIS FORWARD.
>> YEP.
LOU: THIS IS, AS FAR AS WE CAN
DETERMINE, THE FIRST TIME THAT
AN AMERICAN PRESIDENT HAS TAKEN
ACCOUNT OF THE JOB MARKET, TAKEN
ACCOUNT OF THE IMPACT OF VISAS
AND FOREIGN WORKERS ON AMERICAN
JOBS AND THE COMPETITION, THE
UNFAIR COMPETITION THAT THAT
PLACES ON THOSE U.S. WORKERS.
>> YEAH, YOU KNOW, I CAN TELL
YOU, LOU, HAVING SAT WITH THE
PRESIDENT ON THE DAY HE WAS
DECIDING THESE THINGS THIS WEEK,
YOU KNOW, HE’S A BULLDOZER OF A
MAN CONVERSATIONALLY, BUT AT
THAT MOMENT HE WAS SUBDUED AND
MOVED.
AND IT WAS BECAUSE, I MEAN, HE
SAID I JUST HAVE TO DO WHAT I
CAN FOR THESE AMERICANS.
AND IT WAS MORE HEAD SHAKING AND
QUIET THAN THE USUAL DISCUSSION
IN THE OVAL OFFICE WHICH IS
TYPICALLY MUCH LOUDER AND MORE
BOISTEROUS.
HE WAS CLEARLY PERSONALLY VERY
MOVED.
YOU KNOW HOW IMPORTANT ECONOMIC
SUCCESS FOR EVERY AMERICAN IS
FOR HIM.
WELL, THIS IS WHERE THE RUBBER
MOOTS THE ROAD FOR A LOT OF IT.
-- MEETS THE ROAD FOR A LOT OF
IT.
WHEN UNEMPLOYMENT GOES FROM A
TRUMP LEVEL OF 3.5% UP,
QUADRUPLES IN A MATTER OF MONTHS
FOR THE FIST TIME IN AMERICAN
FINISH FIRST TIME IN AMERICAN
HISTORY, IT REALLY SHAKES UP THE
WHOLE COUNTRY.
NOT JUST THE ECONOMY, BUT ITS
PRESIDENT WHO CARES ABOUT THOSE
WORKERS.
AND THAT’S WHY HE WAS FOCUSED ON
PUSHING THIS AS FAR AS HE DID.
THE TEMPORARY PIECES OF THIS,
LOU, ARE OVER 500,000 JOB
OPENINGS FOR AMERICANS IN THE
LATTER HALF OF THIS YEAR.
THAT IS A VERY BIG DEAL.
UNPRECEDENTED LEVEL OF EFFORT BY
A PRESIDENT TO CLEAR THE
AMERICAN JOB MARKET OF
COMPETITION LIKE THIS.
NO ONE IN YOURS AND MY LIFETIME
HAS DONE THIS BEFORE IN HIS
POSITION EVER.
AND TO THE POINT YOU MENTIONED
ABOUT SOME OF THE MORE PERMANENT
CHANGES EVEN WHEN WE GET PAST
THOSE TEMPORARY ONES, HE LISTED
OFF A NUMBER OF THEM THAT ARE
GOING TO CLEAR OUT THE JOB
MARKET OF ANOTHER TENS OF
THOUSANDS, HUNDREDS OF THOUSANDS
OF JOBS LONG TERM.
WAY BEYOND 2020.
AND SO HE’S DOING BOTH, LOU.
HE’S CLEARING THAT A SPACE FOR
AMERICANS TO GET BACK TO WORK S
AND HE’S REFORMING THE
IMMIGRATION SYSTEM, PIECES OF
THE IMMIGRATION SYSTEM TO MAKE
THIS MANY MORE MERIT-BASED, TO
MAKE THEM MORE VALUABLE TO
AMERICA, BUT ALSO TO MAKE SURE
AMERICANS CAN GET MORE JOBS IN
THE FACE OF THESE PIECES OF THE
IMMIGRATION SYSTEM.
LOU: HISTORICALLY AND TO YOUR
POINT, LOOKING AT THE H-1B VISA
PROGRAM, FOR EXAMPLE, WE KNOW
THAT THAT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE,
THE IDEA WAS THAT IT WOULD BRING
IN PEOPLE WHO WOULD BE WORKING
AT PREVAILING WAGES AND BE DOING
SO, FIRST AND FOREMOST, ONLY
AFTER NO AMERICAN HAD APPLIED
FOR THAT JOB OR WAS AVAILABLE
FOR THAT JOB.
WE HAVE SEEN THAT HONORED IN THE
BREACH.
THAT IS, NOT HONORED AT ALL.
AND IT’S ONE OF THE LONG-TERM
ISSUES THAT HAS TO BE RESOLVED.
AND WHEN I LOOK AT THE LIST OF
H-1B VISA COMPANIES RECEIVING
WORKERS, VISAS FOR THOSE
WORKERS, WE’RE TALKING ABOUTING
GOOGLE, WE’RE TALKING ABOUT
AMAZON, MICROSOFT, APPLE, IBM.
MY GOD, IT IS A HALL OF SHAME
WITH SOME OF THE WEALTHIEST
COMPANIES AT THE FOREFRONT.
IT IS JUST STUNNING TO THINK
WHAT THE AMERICAN WORKER HAS HAD
TO PUT UP WITH BECAUSE, AS YOU
KNOW VERY WELL, ABOUT 25% OF
THOSE WORKERS COMING IN ARE NOT
EVEN COMPETITIVE IN TERMS OF
SKILLS WITH THE AMERICAN WORKER.
>> WELL, AND SOME OF THEM --
LOU: IT’S TIMELY AND IT’S, AND
IT IS IS SO, TO ME PERSONALLY,
IT IS SO REA ASSURING TO SEE
THIS PRESIDENT MOVE FOR THE
AMERICAN WORKER.
>> WELL, AND, LOU, I AGREE WITH
YOU.
IN THIS H-1B SPACE, I MEAN, TALK
ABOUT MOVING, YOU REMEMBER THE
CLASS YOU CAN HORROR STORY IS
THE DISNEY WORKERS TRAINING
THEIR REPLACEMENTS.
I KNOW YOU REMEMBER THAT, LOU.
AT&T DID THIS NOT TOO LONG AGO.
AND THERE’S A LOOPHOLE THAT THEY
USE TO BE ABLE TO DO THAT, AND
THIS PRESIDENT HAS ORDERED THAT
LOOPHOLE CLOSED FOREVER.
AND WE WILL NOT SEE THAT EVER
AGAIN.
AND IF THAT MEANS THAT SOME
COMPANIES CAN’T DO BUSINESS THAT
WAY, THAT’S EXACTLY THE POINT.
BUT AMERICANS WILL BE ABLE TO DO
THOSE JOBS.
THEY WILL BE ABLE TO DO BUSINESS
THAT WAY.
AND IT’S A SPECTACULAR STEP
FORWARD THAT NONE OF PRESIDENT
TRUMP’S PREDECESSORS HAVE BEEN
WILLING TO TAKE.
LOU: RIGHT.
AND KUDOS TO HIM, COMMENDATION
TO THIS PRESIDENT --
>> IT’S VERY POPULAR.
VERY POPULAR.
LOU: WELL, I THINK THAT AMERICAN
WORKERS HAVE BEEN DESPERATE FOR
THIS AND NEVER MORE SO THAN
RIGHT NOW IN THIS NATIONAL
EMERGENCY.
>> ABSOLUTELY.
LOU: AND TO THINK -- I THINK WE
NEED TO SAY, TOO, HOW MUCH
PRESSURE THIS PRESIDENT HAS BEEN
UNDER FROM EXTERNAL FORCES.
AND BY EXTERNAL, I MEAN THE WALL
STREET FIRMS MYRON BRILLIANT AND
TOM DONOHUE AT THE U.S. CHAMBER
OF COMMERCE, THE BUSINESS ROUND
TABLE, THE U.S. MULTI-NATIONALS
WHO DO LABOR ARBITRAGE AND THEN
TRY TO DRESS IT UP AS SOME SORT
OF GLOBALIST, NOBLE FANTASY --
>> RIGHT.
LOU: IT IS ABSOLUTELY A HORROR
SHOW FOR THE AMERICAN WORKER AND
HAS BEEN FOR 20 YEARS.
>> WELL, AND THE PRESIDENT --
LOU:
[INAUDIBLE]
>> -- HAS BEEN RETURNING THIS
PROGRAM TO WHAT IT WAS MEANT TO
BE, LIKE YOU DESCRIBED, LOU.
IT WAS SUPPOSED TO BE FOR THESE
HIGH ACHIEVERS AND THE BEST AND
THE BRIGHTEST AND SO FORTH,
PEOPLE WHO BROUGHT SOMETHING
SPECIAL TO THE TABLE, NOT SOME
COMMODITY EFFORT THAT DISPLACES
AMERICANS AT ENTRY-LEVEL JOBS
AND THROUGHOUT THE CAREER STAGE.
AND THIS PRESIDENT IS DRIVING US
BACK IN THAT DIRECTION
CONSISTENT BEING A RULE OF LAW
PRESIDENT.
HE’S GETTING US BACK TO THE
ORIGINAL INTENT OF THIS LAW AND
THE ORIGINAL EFFECT WHICH WAS
MUCH MORE BENEFICIAL TO THE
ECONOMY AND MUCH LESS HARMFUL TO
AMERICAN WORKERS.
AND THAT’S THE DIRECTION
PRESIDENT TRUMP IS ONCE AGAIN
TAKING THIS COUNTRY.
LOU: YEAH.
AMERICA FIRST.
>> THAT’S EXACTLY RIGHT.