I’m proud to stand in support of our diverse communities and strong voices who fight for equality and justice. Immigrants have long been subject to living in times of hostility and uncertainty here in Georgia and across the nation. But it’s an issue that both sides of the aisle can certainly find common ground on, and bridging the gap is exactly what a bipartisan group of Senators, led by Georgia Senator David Perdue, have joined forces to achieve through the Healthcare Workforce Resilience Act.
With immense pressure mounting on U.S. medical professionals throughout the coronavirus pandemic, it has quickly come to light that we need to take immediate action to tackle the shortage of doctors and nurses that has been cultivating for years. Unless this problem is swiftly addressed, we could face significant risks in our ability to combat the coronavirus. Luckily, our leaders in Congress on both sides of the aisle have recognized an incredible opportunity to fill these gaps and improve our economy with highly skilled and trained professionals – foreign-born immigrants.
What often goes forgotten is that about 17 percent of the healthcare workforce is currently made up by immigrants. In fact, they represent about one-quarter of all direct-care workers in nursing, psychiatrics and home health aides and are a little over a quarter of all highly skilled professionals such as physicians and surgeons. This bill acknowledges the unspoken truth that immigrants represent an indispensable part of the nation’s healthcare system and have been crucial in our nation’s response to this public health crisis.
Ultimately, the proposal reallocates 25,000 unused visas that Congress has already authorized and disperses them to qualified immigrant nurses and doctors in the United States. Through this targeted and timely legislation, all Americans will be able to benefit from a stronger healthcare workforce all without displacing American workers or increasing immigration numbers – a compromise that shows Republican lawmakers have been eager to find solutions during this trying time all while laying the foundation for future bipartisan pro-immigration proposals.
Whether it’s a surge in COVID-19 cases or matters of race and injustice, we work together. The contributions of immigrants in our communities and economies is what makes America the greatest country of all. We can change the divide by uniting our values so that we can accomplish the goals this country has for future generations. And this legislation is a prime example of that.
America’s immigration policies have failed to achieve comprehensive reform that is needed to rid the system of cracks and fault lines. While this is a stopgap measure, it is crucial that we band together as a nation – across all communities – to fight this pandemic and get back to a working and successful economy. Here in Georgia, we have a lot on the line when it comes to the strength of our business community. For six years now, our great state has been named the best place for doing business, but with doors shuttered and unemployment spiking, we need an all-hands-on-deck approach to recover. We want to keep Georgia as the best place to live, work, start a business and raise a family. The reality is, short-term reforms like this can have a lasting effect on the healthcare industry and could open doors to a more diverse pipeline of workers across all industries for Georgia and across the nation that is desperately needed to fill workforce shortages.
Republicans in Georgia and across the nation have long battled for a common-sense approach to immigration reform that launches this country forward and opens up opportunities for all. While we work on achieving these goals, let’s make sure to support efforts like this that strengthen the healthcare workforce while encouraging our nation’s immigrant community to join in this fight with us to all our benefit.
