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Committee hearing: Experts say high‑skilled immigration can bolster growth, but visa rules and backlogs risk U.S. competitiveness
Summary
Witnesses told the Joint Economic Committee that America’s slowing population growth and older age profile threaten long‑term growth and fiscal capacity and that shifting immigration toward younger, highly skilled entrants and fixing visa backlogs could raise productivity and reduce federal deficits. They warned that recent policy changes — including a $100,000 fee for some incoming H‑1Bs and uncertainty around student work programs — have already weakened recruitment and retention.
The Joint Economic Committee spent the hearing focused on how U.S. demographics and immigration policy affect long‑term economic growth and fiscal health. Chair Chairman Schwikert opened by saying the committee was building “a unified theory of economic growth” and identified population size and the skills of the workforce as a central vulnerability. Senator Hansen, in her opening, warned that the country’s research and higher‑education ecosystem is at risk and urged bipartisan fixes to immigration that preserve U.S. advantage: “For generations, the United States has been a top destination for talented students, researchers, and scientists from around the world.”
Panelists told the committee that the United States faces a consequential demographic shift: birth rates well below replacement and an expanding share of older Americans are reducing the number of working‑age people and raising entitlement spending. Dr. Luke Purdue of the Aspen Economic Strategy Group testified that U.S. fertility is near 1.6 births per woman and…
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