Focus on American Workers First': Cotton's Bill Wo
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On Tuesday, Sen. Tom Cotton (R-AR) and David Perdue (R-GA) announced legislation designed to cut legal immigration to the U.S. in half.
The Reforming American Immigration for Strong Employment Act, or RAISE Act, would reduce the number of green cards issued annually from one million to 500,000.
On "The First 100 Days" tonight, Cotton responded to critics of the bill, some of whom have called it "Draconian."
He said that 500,00 green cards per year is closer to historic norms in the U.S., and it's still very generous when compared to many other countries.
"What I simply think we need to do is get a legal immigration system that works for American workers," Cotton said.
He explained that wages have stagnated for blue collar workers over the past several decades, while immigrants have come to the country in record numbers.
"I think those two things are directly connected. With my legislation, we're going to focus on American workers first."