Friday, May 16, 2014

Valerie Jarrett: 'We Have a Commitment' from Boehner on Amnesty This Year



Valerie Jarrett: 'We Have a Commitment' from Boehner on Amnesty This Year

by Tony Lee 15 May 2014
President Barack Obama's top adviser and confidant told a group of global elites on Thursday in Las Vegas, Nevada that House Speaker John Boehner (R-OH) has made a commitment to the White House to try to pass amnesty legislation this year.

After hailing the Senate's amnesty bill that the Congressional Budget Office determined would lower the wages of American workers, Valerie Jarrett, Obama's senior advisor, told attendees at the yearly invitation-only SkyBridge Alternatives Conference that Boehner would help the White House make a push get immigration reform enacted in the next three months.

“I think we have a window this summer, between now and August, to get something done,” Jarrett said, according to the Las Vegas Review-Journal. “We have a commitment from Speaker Boehner, who’s very frustrated with his caucus."

Addressing attendees at an event described as conference where "investors and elite political donors" along with "hedge fund managers, political and business leaders and celebrities" can "speak freely," Jarrett said that the Senate's bill would pass in the House if Republicans brought it to the floor.

Jarrett, echoing the sentiments of Rep. Luis Gutierrez (D-IL), who has said that Democrats would want a piecemeal approach to immigration reform if they get all of the pieces of the Senate bill, said that there were "a lot of ways to skin a cat" and that there would be "mounting pressure" on amnesty legislation in the coming months. She also reportedly claimed the high-tech industry needed more "educated workers" even though numerous studies have debunked the myth that there is a shortage of American high-tech workers.

The Senate's bill would double and possibly triple the number of H1-B visas that high-tech lobbying groups like Facebook co-founder Mark Zuckerberg's FWD.us covet even though American colleges and universities graduate more workers in the science, technology, engineering, and math (STEM) fields than there are job openings. In addition, illegal immigrants put on a path to citizenship and given work visas could qualify for any job, which would reduce the opportunities for Americans on the bottom rungs of the economic ladder.

Boehner, who hired Sen. John McCain's top amnesty adviser at the end of the last year, has previously told fundraisers in Las Vegas that he was "hellbent" on getting amnesty legislation done this year and then mocked conservative opponents of amnesty at an event in his Ohio district. Boehner also said that when he and Obama agreed the most on amnesty legislation when they met at the White House in February of this year. Obama also indicated this week that there were only "two to three months" to get amnesty legislation enacted this year.

House GOP leaders like Rep. Cathy McMorris Rodgers (R-WA), the GOP Conference Chair, have also floated an August deadline to get legislation on the House floor while business executives have said they thought amnesty legislation would be the"final act" of the lame-duck session. Even if Congress is pressured not to act on immigration legislation this year, Sen. Marco Rubio (R-FL) and GOP leaders said on Wednesday that Republicans in the Senate would "absolutely" try to pass amnesty legislation again in the next Congress if Republicans win back the Senate in November.

Valerie B. Jarrett
Valerie B. Jarrett is the senior adviser for the Barack Obama administration, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.

Note: James S. Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a director at the General Dynamics Corporation.
Foundation to Promote Open Society was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank), Amnesty International, the Brookings Institution (think tank), and the Committee for Economic Development.
George Soros was the chairman for the Foundation to Promote Open Society.
Frank Greer was the co-founder, Amnesty International USA at Amnesty International, and is a partner at GMMB.
Bill & Melinda Gates Foundation is a GMMB client, was a funder for the Aspen Institute (think tank), the Brookings Institution (think tank), and the Committee for Economic Development.
Lester Crown is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, was a lifetime trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a director at the General Dynamics Corporation.
Jack Valenti was a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and a member of the Burning Tree Club.
John A. Boehner is a member of the Burning Tree Club, the House leader for the Republican establishment, and the speaker for the U.S. House of Representatives.
L. John Doerr is a trustee at the Aspen Institute (think tank), and was a member of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.
George A. Joulwan was a director at the General Dynamics Corporation, and is a director at Alion Science and Technology.
David J. Vitale is a director at Alion Science and Technology, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Cyrus F. Freidheim Jr. is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank).
Sheryl K. Sandberg was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a member of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, and is the COO & director for Facebook.
Mark Zuckerberg is the co-founder & chairman & CEO for Facebook.
Lee H. Hamilton is an honorary trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a co-chair for the Independent Task Force on Immigration and America's Future.
Laura D'Andrea Tyson was a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), and a member of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.
Shirley Ann Jackson is a trustee at the Brookings Institution (think tank), a member of the President's Council of Advisors on Science and Technology, and was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development.
Donna S. Morea was a trustee at the Committee for Economic Development, and the EVP for the CGI Group Inc.
CGI Group Inc. was the Obamacare contractor that developed Healthcare.gov web site.
Obamacare is Barack Obama’s signature policy initiative.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Michelle Obama was a lawyer at Sidley Austin LLP, and her brother is Craig M. Robinson.
Elizabeth Esty was an attorney at Sidley Austin LLP, and is a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.
R. Eden Martin is counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and the president of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Newton N. Minow is a senior counsel at Sidley Austin LLP, and a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago.
Penny S. Pritzker is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, the secretary of the U.S. Department of Commerce for the Barack Obama administration, was the national finance chair, fundraiser for the 2008 Barack Obama presidential campaign, a co-chair for the 2009 Barack Obama inaugural committee, a fundraiser, national co-chair for the 2012 Barack Obama presidential campaign, a contributor for the 2013 Barack Obama inaugural committee, the host for the Barack Obama fund-raising dinner, 7/2/2008, Craig M. Robinson’s basketball coach for the children's team, and a member of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness.
W. James McNerney Jr. was a member of the President's Council on Jobs and Competitiveness, is a member of the Commercial Club of Chicago, and the chairman & president & CEO for the Boeing Company.
Barbara G. Fast was a VP at the Boeing Company, and a VP for the CGI Group Inc.
CGI Group Inc. was the Obamacare contractor that developed Healthcare.gov web site.
Obamacare is Barack Obama’s signature policy initiative.
Barack Obama was an intern at Sidley Austin LLP.
Elizabeth Esty was an attorney at Sidley Austin LLP, and is a member of the House Committee on Science, Space and Technology.






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