Trump order curbs federal use of foreign workers

Americans will be prioritized to fill federal jobs

Posted on Aug 3, 2020

Today, President Trump signed an executive order to promote the hiring of Americans across federal agencies.

Through this order, federal agencies will perform audits to ensure that only U.S. citizens are appointed to the competitive service.

In addition, the President announced guidance will be finalized to close loopholes in the H-1B program where employers knowingly move nonimmigrant workers to job sites to replace American workers.

The Trump Administration has long prioritized the hiring of Americans and opposed the outsourcing of our jobs.

President Trump has fought to bring jobs back to the U.S. and protect American workers. He noted, “We believe jobs must be offered to American workers first.”

Today’s action is a step towards correcting the unfair practice used by federal employers to give jobs to workers from other countries rather than qualified American applicants.

The federally-owned Tennessee Valley Authority (TVA) recently announced it planned to outsource 20 percent of its technology jobs to companies based in foreign countries.

This action would have cost 200 highly-skilled American tech workers their jobs and the local economy tens of millions of dollars over the coming years.

As a result, the President fired the chair of the TVA, criticizing the federal-owned corporation for hiring foreign workers. According to the Associated Press:

Trump told reporters at the White House that he was formally removing chair Skip Thompson and another member of the board, and he threatened to remove other board members if they continued to hire foreign labor. Thompson was appointed to the post by Trump.

The TVA is a federally owned corporation created in 1933 to provide flood control, electricity generation, fertilizer manufacturing and economic development to the Tennessee Valley, a region that was hard hit by the Great Depression. The region covers most of Tennessee and parts of Alabama, Mississippi and Kentucky as well as small sections of Georgia, North Carolina and Virginia.

He also said the TVA board must immediately hire a new chief executive officer who “puts the interests of Americans first.” According to Trump, the CEO, Jeff Lyash, earns $8 million a year.

“The new CEO must be paid no more than $500,000 a year,” Trump said. “We want the TVA to take action on this immediately. … Let this serve as a warning to any federally appointed board: If you betray American workers, you will hear two words: ‘You’re fired.’”

President Trump is focused on making a pathway to employment for Americans first. He has shined a light on the dangers of outsourcing U.S. jobs especially in a time where the Coronavirus has forced millions out of work.

Early on in the pandemic, President Trump paused immigration and work visas to put Americans first in line for jobs as the economy reopens.

The Administration also finalized regulations to eliminate the incentive to file an asylum application in order to obtain an Employment Authorization Document.

President Trump is working to bring back the strongest economy in the world led by the American workforce.