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U.S. NEWS Thursday 3 augusT 2017
Trump backs GOP plan to push legal immigration changes

gal permanent residency, in English-speaking people
or green cards, creating from Britain and Australia.
a skills-based point system The president has made
for employment visas. The cracking down on illegal
bill would also eliminate immigration a hallmark of
the preference for U.S. resi- his administration and has
dents’ extended and adult tried to slash federal grants
family members, while for cities that refuse to
maintaining priority for their comply with federal efforts
spouses and minor chil- to detain and deport those
dren. living in the country illegal-
Overall, immigration would ly. But he has also vowed
be slashed 41 percent in to make changes to the
the legislation’s first year legal immigration system,
and 50 percent in its 10th, arguing that immigrants
according to projection compete with Americans
models cited by the bill’s for much-needed jobs
sponsors. The bill would also and drive wages down.
aim to slash the number of Most economists dispute
refugees in half and elimi- the president’s argument,
nate a program that pro- noting that immigration in
vides visas to people from recent decades doesn’t
countries with low rates of appear to have meaning-
President Donald Trump, flanked by Sen. Tom Cotton, R- Ark., left, and Sen. David Perdue, R-Ga., immigration. The rollout in- fully hurt wages in the long
speaks in the Roosevelt Room of the White House in Washington, Wednesday, Aug. 2, 2017, during cluded a combative press run. Increased immigra-
the unveiling of legislation that would place new limits on legal immigration. briefing led by Trump policy tion is also associated with
(AP Photo/Evan Vucci) aide Stephen Miller, who faster growth because the
By KEN THOMAS in the Senate. “This legis- ban transgender people clashed with the media country is adding workers,
JILL COLVIN lation demonstrates our from the military. Perdue over the plan and accused so restricting the number
Associated Press compassion for struggling and Cotton’s legislation one reporter of being “cos- of immigrants could slow
WASHINGTON (AP) — Presi- American families who de- would replace the current mopolitan” when he sug- the economy’s potential to
dent Donald Trump em- serve an immigration sys- process for obtaining le- gested it would only bring expand.q
braced legislation Wednes- tem that puts their needs
day that would dramati- first and puts America first,”
cally reduce legal immi- Trump said during an event
gration and shift the nation in the White House’s Roos-
toward a system that pri- evelt Room.
oritizes merit and skills over It was the latest example
family ties. Trump joined of the president champion-
with Republican Sens. Da- ing an issue that animated
vid Perdue of Georgia and the core voters of his 2016
Tom Cotton of Arkansas to campaign, following de-
promote the bill, which has cisions to pull out of the
so far gained little traction Paris climate treaty and

Boy Scouts: Top leaders didn’t
call Trump to laud his speech

By DAVID CRARY after the speech and “of-
AP National Writer fered quite powerful com-
NEW YORK (AP) — Faced pliments.”
with a firm denial from Trump told The Wall Street
the Boy Scouts, the White Journal in an interview
House on Wednesday cor- published Wednesday, “I
rected President Donald got a call from the head of
Trump’s claim in an inter- the Boy Scouts saying it was
view that the head of the the greatest speech that
youth group called him to was ever made to them.”
heap praise on a politically “We are unaware of any
aggressive speech Trump such call,” the Boy Scouts
delivered at the Scouts’ responded in a statement.
national jamboree. It specified that neither
After the Boy Scouts issued Boy Scout President Ran-
a statement saying no dall Stephenson nor Chief
such call happened, White Scout Executive Mike Sur-
House spokeswoman Sar- baugh placed such a call.
ah Huckabee Sanders con- Sanders explained the dis-
firmed their take but said crepancy Wednesday by
“multiple members of the saying Trump misspoke
Boy Scout leadership” ap- when he described the
proached Trump in person conversations as calls.q