President Donald Trump has nominated Kevin Hassett to become chairman of the Council of Economic Advisors, pending approval by the Senate’s banking committee. The position is essentially that of the Chief Economist of the White House. Although a conservative, Hassett is reportedly well respected by both sides of the D.C. political aisle and has an incredible resume, with noteworthy accomplishments including holding a Ph.D. in Economics from the University of Pennsylvania, having been a Professor of Economics at Columbia University’s Business School, having written and co-authored many prolific articles and books (e.g.; Dow 36,000), and serving as a policy consultant to the United States Treasury Department during the George H. W. Bush and Bill Clinton administrations.
Importantly, Hassett has analyzed and championed the positive economic effects of immigration and has been quoted as saying “economic growth could expand significantly if immigration in the U.S. were expanded…With lackluster GDP growth threatening to become our new normal, allowing more immigrants to enter for the sake of employment is one of the few policies that might restore our old normal. If the U.S. doubled its total immigration and prioritized bringing in new workers, it could add more than half a percentage point a year to expected GDP growth.”
Should Hassett be approved as Chairman, the move would be cheered by pro-immigration advocates who have been hoping for a positive sign regarding policies favorable to immigrant workers. At the Shulman Law Group, we have been proudly representing clients in employment-based immigration cases for the past 22 years. In addition to helping immigrants with their labor cases, which include everything from H1-B’s to L-1 visas, we feel strongly that immigrants help improve the economic landscape of the United States.