On Tuesday, Trump signed an executive order that will place more restrictions on the admission of high-skilled foreign workers and will bar foreign contractors from gaining access to federal projects.
Trump’s ‘Hire American’ Agenda
The move is part of a larger push to “Buy American, Hire American,” a key campaign slogan for the president. Trump unveiled the order at a Snap-on plant in Kenosha, Wisconsin. He explained that the federal government will become more aggressive in promoting U.S.A.-made goods and ensuring that U.S. workforce is employed to do the job.
We’re going to do everything in our power to make sure more products are stamped with those wonderful words ‘Made in the USA,’
he told a large crowd of workers.
He added that American workers watched for too long how their jobs are being shipped overseas and their factories get closed.
It is the first time, Trump visits Wisconsin since a nail-biting race against his Democratic rival Hillary Clinton last fall. The billionaire won the Badger State by around 27,000 votes, marking an unexpected win for a Republican in a Rust Belt state.
On the campaign trail, Trump vowed to undo free-trade deals, prevent the departure of U.S. jobs to China and Mexico, and revive the U.S. manufacturing in states such as Pennsylvania, Wisconsin, and Michigan. He gained a tremendous popularity among blue collar workers who have become alienated from the Democratic Party over the years.
Trump’s executive order also tries to prevent fraud in the H-1B visa program, which benefits U.S. tech companies. It also instructs federal agencies to use American companies and products in federal contracts.
The executive order is designed to prevent the use of foreign labor by U.S. firms, which in the Trump administration’s view, leaves Americans jobless and lowers their wages. It also seeks to give a big boost to the U.S. steel industry.
Many Trump’s Products Are Manufactured Overseas
However, while on paper, everything looks excellent for American workers, in reality, Trump and his family are using foreign labor to manufacture their products. His and his daughter’s clothing lines bear the Made in China label, while many of the Trump family’s businesses hired foreign workers.
The irony was perfectly caught on Twitter:
@realDonaldTrump @GovWalker @stevenmnuchin1 @USTreasury @usedgov @SenRonJohnson lol pic.twitter.com/hm5A66EsGA
— Mike Denison (@mikd33) April 18, 2017
@realDonaldTrump @GovWalker @stevenmnuchin1 @USTreasury @usedgov @SenRonJohnson EXCEPT IVANKA. She can still make her crap in China. pic.twitter.com/xJQh8ErWyI
— Kristina Wong ❄️ (@mskristinawong) April 18, 2017
@realDonaldTrump @GovWalker @stevenmnuchin1 @USTreasury @usedgov @SenRonJohnson pic.twitter.com/uxlhmSLn1X
— Mike Denison (@mikd33) April 18, 2017
@realDonaldTrump @GovWalker @stevenmnuchin1 @USTreasury @usedgov @SenRonJohnson Why are YOUR products made in foreign countries? This shmata is from Vietnam. Sad. pic.twitter.com/gtxNSjzqfa
— Rob Taub (@robmtaub) April 18, 2017
@realDonaldTrump@GovWalker@stevenmnuchin1@USTreasury@usedgov@SenRonJohnsonpic.twitter.com/j2RhfYXBvx
— Mike Denison (@mikd33) April 18, 2017
Trump Routinely Hires Foreign Workers
What’s more, Trump has routinely used foreign workers on his properties. For instance, during the 2015-2016 winter season, Trump’s private Palm Beach estate Mar-a-Lago hired 69 foreigners as waiters, housekeepers, and cooks via the H-2B visa program, which allows U.S. firms to hire cheap, foreign non-agricultural workforce.
During the previous two winter seasons, the private club hired 87 and 90 foreign workers respectively. Trump said that it is incredibly hard to get local workers during the “Palm Beach season” so, he had to “bring people in”.
Trump family’s winery in Charlottesville, Virginia, has also brought people in via the H-2A. In February, the facility asked the Labor Department to approve 23 temporary work visas for as many foreign workers for vineyard farming positions. Trump Vineyard Estates is now run by one of Trump’s sons, Eric Trump.
Image Source: Flickr
