April 18, 2017•Update: April 19, 2017
By Canberk Yuksel
NEW YORK
President Donald Trump signed an executive order Tuesday that will make it more difficult for American companies to hire foreign workers.
The order directs all government agencies to review the H-1B temporary visa program as part of Trump’s “Buy American, Hire American” policy.
Trump pledged to end the program during his campaign for the Oval Office.
The executive action also orders an assessment of free trade agreements with foreign government contractors in a bid to offset any disadvantage to American stakeholders.
After a White House preview a day earlier, Trump made the announcement during a speech at Snap-On Tools in Wisconsin.
“I am proud to announce that we are to take bold new steps to follow through on my pledge to buy American and hire American”, Trump said.
The order will take months to take effect as the waivers and exceptions made to “Buy American” laws, including those included in dozens of trade deals, are reviewed.
“Over the years, these ‘Buy American’ standards have been gutted by excessive waivers and reckless exemptions,” Trump said Tuesday.
“The result has been countless jobs and countless contracts that have been lost to cheap, subsidized and low-quality foreign goods,” he added.
The use of H-1B visas by American companies is commonplace in the technology industry.
The Trump administration is concern the visas are awarded mostly to India-based companies for lower-paying jobs, effectively undercutting American workers in the job market.
