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Indian-American lawmaker Ro Khanna “disappointed” after denied amendment to EAGLE Act
Khanna is advocating for the EAGLE Act to alleviate Green Card backlogs in the US.
Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna. / Facebook/Ro Khanna
Indian-American Congressman Ro Khanna expressed his disappointment on social media after his amendment to include the EAGLE Act in this year's National Defense Authorization Act (NDAA) was denied a vote.
Taking to his X account on June.20, he noted, “The EAGLE Act is a bipartisan and common sense bill. 350 amendments were made in order by the Rules Committee but my amendment to add it to the NDAA was blocked by the Republican supermajority on the committee.”
The EAGLE Act will benefit our economy by lifting the arbitrary per-country green card caps to bring down our decades-long backlog for immigrants. I am deeply disappointed that my amendment to include it in this year's National Defense Authorization Act was not given a vote.
— Rep. Ro Khanna (@RepRoKhanna) June 20, 2024
Recently, there has been renewed attention on the EAGLE Act (Equal Access to Green Cards for Legal Employment Act) in the US Congress. This bill, reintroduced in both the Senate and House, aims to eliminate per-country limit on employment-based green cards and increase the limit for family-based green cards from 7 percent to 15 percent. This will end up easing the green card backlog that has been ensnarling hundreds of thousands of immigrants in US, most from India and China.
Currently, the US allocates the same number of visas to countries like India and China, which account for over 40 percent of the global population, and a significant portion of the high-skilled workforce, as it does to Denmark, which has a minimal global population share (0.001 percent). This results in disproportionately long wait times for immigrants from densely populated countries, leading to an unhealthy reliance on temporary visas and a potential brain drain as skilled workers seek opportunities in more welcoming countries.
The bill includes provisions to protect children from "aging out" of their immigration status and offers more flexibility for visa holders to change jobs or travel while waiting for their green cards. These changes are aimed at providing stability for immigrant families and retaining skilled workers in the US.
Khanna's advocacy for the EAGLE Act is part of his broader efforts to promote equality and economic growth through legislative reforms. He wrote on X, "Our industrial base needs more workers to maintain a strong military and outpace our adversaries. Immigrants help fill a critical shortage and bring vital skills to our economy, supporting all Americans.”
He also expressed strong hopes for the EAGLE Act's impact: "I'm moved by the stories I’ve heard from my constituents about how this bill would help. I will continue to champion this critical legislation and explore ways for it to be signed into law."
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