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Republicans should prepare for a frosty reception during their next visit to
Silicon Valley if they're seen as the main obstacle to immigration reform,
sources in the tech world say.
Industry insiders are watching the congressional battle over immigration
reform closely, as Facebook, Google, Microsoft and other titans of the tech
world work to protect key provisions in the Senate bill.
The tech industry got almost all of what it wanted from the Senate, and is
on the verge of a major victory — as long as its priorities reach President
Obama's desk.
The biggest stumbling block appears to be the House GOP's resistance to a
pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, something supporters of
reform consider a must for the bill.
If the bill dies over citizenship — and there was growing pessimism in
Washington this week on immigration largely because of that issue —
Republicans could be set up to take the blame.
“I think for the [House] Republican leadership in particular, people in the
Valley would say, ‘How could you let this fail? We needed this,’” said
one tech lobbyist.
“It would be a very different reception for them in the Valley if they were
to go out there without having been able to accomplish this, which is an
item high on the priority list for Silicon Valley, and it’s seen as doable,
” the lobbyist added.
The hard feelings would come at a terrible time for Republicans, who are
seeking to make inroads with Silicon Valley — and with its deep-pocketed
donors.
House Republican “Young Guns” Eric Cantor (Va.), Kevin McCarthy (Calif.)
and Paul Ryan (Wis.) have made pilgrimages to Facebook, Google and other top
companies to meet with industry leaders, bask in the entrepreneurial
culture and notch “cool points” for the party brand.
Along they way, they’ve banked hefty sums from a region that had long been
a stronghold for Democrats.
But industry insiders say the budding relationship between the Grand Ole
Party and the Next Big Thing could hit the skids over immigration reform.
One of the companies with a major stake in the outcome of the immigration
push is Facebook, which has rolled out the red carpet for Republicans during
their trips to the Valley.
The company’s political action committee (PAC) has showered more than $100,
000 in campaign cash on members of Congress this year, with contributions
going to Cantor, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Minority Leader Mitch
McConnell (R-Ky.) and leading Democrats, according to the Center for
Responsive Politics.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is also tapping his vast personal fortune
to win passage of a bill that would help his company hire more foreign-born
talent.
Zuckerberg has marshaled tech executives behind FWD.us, a new lobbying
organization that’s dedicated to passing comprehensive immigration reform.
The group boasts an A-list roster of tech donors, including Yahoo CEO
Marissa Mayer, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt and investor John
Doerr.
The new group has already shown it’s willing to shell out cash to defend
members of either party who are willing to take a political risk on
immigration.
FWD.us ran ads supporting Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska)
and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that touted their conservative bona fides. The
ads for Begich and Graham noted their backing for the Keystone XL oil sands
pipeline, infuriating green groups that had seen themselves as tech industry
allies.
“Tech has sort of stuck its neck out on getting immigration done and
getting it done in this Congress,” said a tech insider.
The industry has labored for years to win changes to the immigration rules
for highly skilled and educated foreign workers. Specifically, tech
companies have pressed lawmakers to free up more green cards and increase
the annual H-1B visa cap for skilled foreign workers.
Tech executives say passing immigration reform is key to helping America’s
boom industry hire top talent and keep foreign graduates from leaving the U.
S. after earning advanced technical degrees. Companies say they have
thousands of job openings that they cannot fill because the U.S. isn't
producing enough graduates with advanced skills.
The immigration bill that passed out of the Senate last month largely
addressed the industry’s concerns, putting them one step closer to their
goals.
The path forward in the House is still unclear, however, even after the GOP
conference met for over two hours on Wednesday to cull feedback from members
. One of the options up for consideration is to bring a set of piecemeal
immigration bills from the House Judiciary Committee to the floor.
One of those bills includes a proposal from tech industry champion Rep.
Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) that would set aside 55,000 green cards for foreign
graduates with advanced degrees in technical fields and raise the annual H-
1B visa cap to 155,000.
The bill is modeled after another high-skilled immigration measure from Rep.
Lamar Smith (R-Texas) that passed the House last year.
While lobbyists for the tech industry say the Valley’s relationship with
GOP leaders might face a setback if immigration reform stalls in the House,
they’re quick to say it won’t be irreparably damaged.
Patent, copyright and tax reform are other key issues that tech companies
are looking to work with lawmakers on before the end of the year, and
progress will require buy-in from both sides of the Capitol, they say.
“I don't know if it will help the relationship, but I don't think it will
be a death knell,” a tech lobbyist said.
“People will share that frustration, but I don't think it will be a
chilling effect on the relationship in Washington.”
Still, lobbyists say Republicans will have some explaining to do if
immigration efforts run aground in the House.
“I think there will be some level of frustration obviously because the tech
industry has tried pretty aggressively to get immigration moving,” the
tech insider said.
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/310613-gops-courtship-of-silicon-valley-put-to-the-test-in-immigration-fight#ixzz2YqjE7Hb4
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook
Silicon Valley if they're seen as the main obstacle to immigration reform,
sources in the tech world say.
Industry insiders are watching the congressional battle over immigration
reform closely, as Facebook, Google, Microsoft and other titans of the tech
world work to protect key provisions in the Senate bill.
The tech industry got almost all of what it wanted from the Senate, and is
on the verge of a major victory — as long as its priorities reach President
Obama's desk.
The biggest stumbling block appears to be the House GOP's resistance to a
pathway to citizenship for illegal immigrants, something supporters of
reform consider a must for the bill.
If the bill dies over citizenship — and there was growing pessimism in
Washington this week on immigration largely because of that issue —
Republicans could be set up to take the blame.
“I think for the [House] Republican leadership in particular, people in the
Valley would say, ‘How could you let this fail? We needed this,’” said
one tech lobbyist.
“It would be a very different reception for them in the Valley if they were
to go out there without having been able to accomplish this, which is an
item high on the priority list for Silicon Valley, and it’s seen as doable,
” the lobbyist added.
The hard feelings would come at a terrible time for Republicans, who are
seeking to make inroads with Silicon Valley — and with its deep-pocketed
donors.
House Republican “Young Guns” Eric Cantor (Va.), Kevin McCarthy (Calif.)
and Paul Ryan (Wis.) have made pilgrimages to Facebook, Google and other top
companies to meet with industry leaders, bask in the entrepreneurial
culture and notch “cool points” for the party brand.
Along they way, they’ve banked hefty sums from a region that had long been
a stronghold for Democrats.
But industry insiders say the budding relationship between the Grand Ole
Party and the Next Big Thing could hit the skids over immigration reform.
One of the companies with a major stake in the outcome of the immigration
push is Facebook, which has rolled out the red carpet for Republicans during
their trips to the Valley.
The company’s political action committee (PAC) has showered more than $100,
000 in campaign cash on members of Congress this year, with contributions
going to Cantor, Speaker John Boehner (R-Ohio), Senate Minority Leader Mitch
McConnell (R-Ky.) and leading Democrats, according to the Center for
Responsive Politics.
Facebook founder Mark Zuckerberg is also tapping his vast personal fortune
to win passage of a bill that would help his company hire more foreign-born
talent.
Zuckerberg has marshaled tech executives behind FWD.us, a new lobbying
organization that’s dedicated to passing comprehensive immigration reform.
The group boasts an A-list roster of tech donors, including Yahoo CEO
Marissa Mayer, Google Executive Chairman Eric Schmidt and investor John
Doerr.
The new group has already shown it’s willing to shell out cash to defend
members of either party who are willing to take a political risk on
immigration.
FWD.us ran ads supporting Sens. Marco Rubio (R-Fla.), Mark Begich (D-Alaska)
and Lindsey Graham (R-S.C.) that touted their conservative bona fides. The
ads for Begich and Graham noted their backing for the Keystone XL oil sands
pipeline, infuriating green groups that had seen themselves as tech industry
allies.
“Tech has sort of stuck its neck out on getting immigration done and
getting it done in this Congress,” said a tech insider.
The industry has labored for years to win changes to the immigration rules
for highly skilled and educated foreign workers. Specifically, tech
companies have pressed lawmakers to free up more green cards and increase
the annual H-1B visa cap for skilled foreign workers.
Tech executives say passing immigration reform is key to helping America’s
boom industry hire top talent and keep foreign graduates from leaving the U.
S. after earning advanced technical degrees. Companies say they have
thousands of job openings that they cannot fill because the U.S. isn't
producing enough graduates with advanced skills.
The immigration bill that passed out of the Senate last month largely
addressed the industry’s concerns, putting them one step closer to their
goals.
The path forward in the House is still unclear, however, even after the GOP
conference met for over two hours on Wednesday to cull feedback from members
. One of the options up for consideration is to bring a set of piecemeal
immigration bills from the House Judiciary Committee to the floor.
One of those bills includes a proposal from tech industry champion Rep.
Darrell Issa (R-Calif.) that would set aside 55,000 green cards for foreign
graduates with advanced degrees in technical fields and raise the annual H-
1B visa cap to 155,000.
The bill is modeled after another high-skilled immigration measure from Rep.
Lamar Smith (R-Texas) that passed the House last year.
While lobbyists for the tech industry say the Valley’s relationship with
GOP leaders might face a setback if immigration reform stalls in the House,
they’re quick to say it won’t be irreparably damaged.
Patent, copyright and tax reform are other key issues that tech companies
are looking to work with lawmakers on before the end of the year, and
progress will require buy-in from both sides of the Capitol, they say.
“I don't know if it will help the relationship, but I don't think it will
be a death knell,” a tech lobbyist said.
“People will share that frustration, but I don't think it will be a
chilling effect on the relationship in Washington.”
Still, lobbyists say Republicans will have some explaining to do if
immigration efforts run aground in the House.
“I think there will be some level of frustration obviously because the tech
industry has tried pretty aggressively to get immigration moving,” the
tech insider said.
Read more: http://thehill.com/blogs/hillicon-valley/technology/310613-gops-courtship-of-silicon-valley-put-to-the-test-in-immigration-fight#ixzz2YqjE7Hb4
Follow us: @thehill on Twitter | TheHill on Facebook