ABC praises, criticizes Obama speech
The Associated Builders and Contractors liked some of what it heard from President Barack Obama in Tuesday’s State of the Union speech.
It thanked the president for looking to tackle the legal immigrant issue, but said he should have gone farther with his proposals.
“We welcome President Obama’s call for comprehensive immigration reform,” said ABC Vice President of Government Affairs Geoff Burr. “Legal immigrants play a vital role in our construction workforce. Unfortunately, current immigration laws disproportionately affect construction companies due to their fluctuating work needs.
“While the president’s plan is a positive step forward, we are disappointed that he neglected to address the need for a temporary guest worker program for non-agriculture year-round skilled workers,” Burr said. “A guest worker program is essential to the success of any viable immigration system reform. Previous attempts to address immigration reform have been unsuccessful precisely because they did not address this issue.”
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