SMARTER Act Ends Mass Migration, Adopts Merit-Based System to Support American Workers and Businesses to Maintain Global Competitiveness
WASHINGTON, DC – Rep. David Schweikert (AZ-01), Chairman of the Joint Economic Committee (JEC), introduced the Securing Migration, Addressing Reform, and Talent Enhancement and Retention (SMARTER) Act. The legislation reforms employment visas by implementing a points-based system that prioritizes workers who best support U.S. economic growth. It aims to help mitigate the nation’s rising federal debt and strengthen the United States’ ability to compete with geopolitical rivals.
Additionally, following the hearing held on March 18 entitled “Keeping Our Promises: Labor Inflows, Maintaining Competitiveness, and Supporting an Aging Population,” the JEC released an issue brief entitled “Young, Talented, and Ready: Pivoting Toward a National Scheme of Points-Based Immigration” and the Immigration Fiscal Impact Calculator, highlighting the economic impacts of skilled labor by industry.
“Today in the United States, we have the same number of 18-year-olds as we did almost 20 years ago, while the older population is growing exponentially, creating a demographic shift that shrinks the workforce needed to sustain our long-term financial health. If we are serious about tackling our debt, growing our economy, and safeguarding our earned federal benefits, we must cultivate a workforce that continues to compete globally at the highest level, supports our domestic industries, and optimizes our nation’s financial viability,” said Chairman David Schweikert. “To address our workforce shortages and elevate American productivity while increasing workers’ value, it is imperative to reform policies to prioritize selective, high-skilled, employment-based visas over family-sponsored or diversity migration. This is truly prioritizing America, as we strengthen our economic prosperity and national security by building the best workforce of the future while expanding opportunities for all Americans.”
Debt is increasing rapidly and now dwarfs Gross Domestic Product (GDP) in the U.S. Smarter policies can ameliorate this problem. Selective high-skilled immigration, particularly in underserved or bottlenecked industries, results in more innovation and increased economic growth. However, the framework currently used in the U.S. distributes visas randomly or by order of application rather than by merit. Further, the global pool of elite talent is finite, and other countries, many of which are adversaries of the United States, are also seeking to attract high-skilled labor. In fact, the JEC estimates that the SMARTER Act would save the federal government approximately $335 billion and increase U.S. GDP by at least $549 billion over the next 10 years.
The SMARTER Act:
- Ends mass migration, replaces H-1B visas with a measured, merit-based system that admits only the most valuable applicants;
- Improves labor market conditions for American workers by reducing excess imported labor;
- Supports economic growth, technological development, and national security by addressing quantifiable supply shortages by industry;
- Helps the U.S. compete against China and other competitors for entrepreneurs, inventors, and other talent; and
- Addresses demographic headwinds as the ratio of workers to the retirees they support reaches historic lows.
Read the text of the SMARTER Act legislation here.
The “Young, Talented, and Ready: Pivoting Toward a National Scheme of Points-Based Immigration,” finds:
- Immigration is necessary to maintain the growth of the U.S. economy, to mitigate the nation’s increasing federal debt, and to adeptly compete with geopolitical rivals. Debt is now over 120 percent of GDP in the U.S., and action must be taken to grow the nation’s GDP without allowing debt to increase even faster. Smarter immigration policies can ameliorate this problem.
- Today, a plurality of lawful permanent residents immigrate to the U.S. through family reunification green cards. This current system distributes visas randomly or by order of application received rather than meritocratically. High-skilled immigration, particularly in underserved or bottlenecked industries, results in more innovation and more economic growth.
- The global pool of elite talent is finite, and other countries like China and Canada are also attempting to attract high-skilled immigrants. One new Canadian visa program pulled away 10,000 would-be immigrants to the U.S. within 24 hours of applications opening.
- It is imperative to reform immigration policies to prioritize high-skilled, employment-based immigration and limit less productive and more costly forms of immigration like family-sponsored or diversity-based visas. This path would better support U.S. industries while minimizing cost to taxpayers and protecting the earnings of American workers.
Read the Joint Economic Committee issue brief on skilled labor here.
Read the recap of the JEC Hearing relevant to this issue, “Keeping Our Promises: Labor Inflows, Maintaining Competitiveness, and Supporting an Aging Population” here.
Linked here, please see the Joint Economic Committee Immigration Fiscal Impact Calculator, which displays a net federal fiscal impact figure based on the user’s input of industry, occupation, education, marital status, age and number of dependents.
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