California Senator Barbara Boxer unsuccessfully tried to kill a guest worker program Tuesday. She’ll now work to cut the number of proposed workers in half. The program is part of an overall reform package being debated in the U.S. Senate. Jodi Breisler reports from Capitol Hill.
The proposal would allow up to 400,000 guest workers in the country each year. Boxer says this is unworkable, unsafe for low-skilled immigrants, and will bring down already low wages for Americans.
Supporters of the reform say it cannot pass without a guest worker program. Boxer says that's hogwash.
Boxer : I'm not going to give up my rights to speak out when it impacts my people in my state who get up every day saying, 'How can I make ends meet? How can I pay the gas prices, how can I afford tuition?'.
Boxer says she wants specific worker programs tied to agriculture, which is vital to California's economy.
From Capitol Hill, Jodi Breisler, KPBS News.
