This Issue: BREAKING: Tennessee Valley Authority drops plans to replace American IT workers with H-1B foreign workers

Fri, Aug. 7th

The Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) has abandoned its plans to replace approximately 20% of its American tech workforce with contractors from an H-1B outsourcing firm.

"We were wrong in not fully understanding the impact on our employees, especially during the pandemic," said Tennessee Valley Authority CEO Jeff Lyash in a statement Thursday.

The announcement comes just days after Pres. Trump signed an executive order requiring all federal agencies and contractors to review their business practices and ensure that American tech workers are not being displaced by H-1B foreign workers.

Pres. Trump's order is another step towards fulfilling a campaign promise to prioritize American workers and reduce abuses within the H-1B visa program that adversely affect American tech workers. But it also shows the limitations of presidential authority. The president's order has no impact on the private sector; only Congress can make across-the-board changes to the H-1B visa program.

We've posted a new action on your Action Board, urging your three Members of Congress to stand with American workers and end H-1B abuses.

LEE-DURBIN PROPOSAL WOULD HURT AMERICAN TECH WORKERS

Senators Mike Lee (R-Utah) and Dick Durbin (D-Ill.) continued their push this week to pass the Fairness for High-Skilled Immigrants Act that would lift per-country caps for employment-based visas.

Sen. Lee asked for unanimous consent on the Lee-Durbin amendment to the House-passed version of the bill, H.R. 1044. Sen. Rick Scott (R-Fla.) objected, blocking its passage for now, but we don't know how long he'll continue his objection.

In addition to lifting the per-country caps, the Lee-Durbin amendment would make an Obama-era regulation that allows H-1B visa holders with a pending employment-based green card application to stay and work in the United States until a green card becomes available, even after their H-1B visa expires. Please see Rosemary's comment on the proposal in the right-hand column.

Earlier this week, we asked many of you to call your Senators and urge them to oppose H.R. 1044. We encourage you to continue those phone calls until at least one Senator is willing to stand with American workers instead of their H-1B replacements.